Why I like Facebook

Here are the reasons why I like facebook:

Earlier this week I had an email from an old youth group friend that I had not talked to in many, many, many years. The email was because he had a question about something that popped up on facebook, and gave us a good chance to catch up. It's fun to catch up with old friends, and I probably wouldn't have gotten the opportunity to get back in touch with Todd had it not been for facebook.

Then tonight, instead of going out partying on Friday night like usual (just kidding....i think I did that one time in high school and hated it....i've been a home body ever since), I decided to log onto facebook and finish uploading old youth group pictures that I have for our alumni page.

But then I saw my friend Ryan was online, so I chatted with him for at least an hour. I haven't seen Ryan in over 10 years, but we keep in touch through email and facebook. He lives in Tennesee now, after spending several years in China. He went on two mission trips with me, one to Cayman Islands, and one to Poughkeepsie, NY. He has the best sense of humor and can entertain me online for hours at a time! I quickly set aside my youth group photos and started uploading funny photos from our trips. We cracked up and starting wondering about the other members of our Cayman Islands team.

Then I got an instant message from my friend Tammi who lives just outside of DC. Tammi also went on mission trips through the same agency Ryan and I did (AIM), although she didn't go on any with us. I told her what Ryan and I were doing and she started looking at the photos too, and promised to help us hunt down a couple of friends from our trip that she knows. Yeah!

Meanwhile, I was also very entertained by several high school friends who kept posting silly remarks on my status. Silly remarks make me laugh every time! I love reverting back to middle school maturity levels.

Next, I got to chat with Chanda in New Jersey, who has been off facebook for a while and I'm happy to find her back on. We were both doing other things, so we didn't get to talk very long.

Ryan finally had to go to bed, so I decided to start posting my youth group pictures. My old high school friend Leslie was on from New Mexico, so we chatted while she looked at all the old photos I had of her from various retreats and ski trips. Leslie stayed up after all my other friends went to bed and kept commenting on my photos as I posted them, keeping me entertained.

Next thing I know it is about 2:30 in the morning and I noticed my friend Jason was logged on. He lives in Florida, so it is even later at night for him. I sent him a quick note and he explained that it is actually morning where he is. He is currently in Svalbard up in the artic ocean between norway and the north pole. He travels there frequently to do research on glaciers. He couldn't chat for long because the helicopter was coming soon to pick them up for their work. He's also an old friend from AIM that I haven't seen in at least 15 years, but keep in regular contact with over phone and email and now facebook.

And finally, my night on facebook ended with an online chat with Rachel who was on her computer up in Salina. She filled me in on plans to move to Chicago, God speaking to her through a veggie tales video, and her new kittens. She really cracked me up, but I'm not sure if it is because she was that funny, or just that it was 3:00 am. She would say it is because she is so witty, so that must be it.

Oh, and one more friend showed up after that. Sherry, another high school friend, evidently couldn't sleep so she started commenting on photos too. All these friends that I treasure, but probably wouldn't be in touch with nearly as often (or at all) if it weren't for facebook.

So in conclusion, I'd just like to share that I feel really blessed to have so many friends in my life, both old and new, and I'm thankful that facebook has been a good tool to keep us connected. And while it is true that I may have wasted about 5 hours on the computer tonight, I got to talk to friends in Tennessee, Virginia, New Jersey, New Mexico, Norway, and Kansas. How fun is that?