Another Facebook Miracle!

As the only child of two only children, I had no aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers or sisters growing up. The closest thing I ever had to a sibling was my mom’s cousin Nancy, who lived with us while attending college as the 1960s became the 1970s. I was only about four years old at the time, but some of my fondest memories of early childhood were times spent listening to records with Nancy.

After college, Nancy got married and we eventually lost touch. She’d exchange a letter or card with my mom every so often for a while, but neither of us had been in contact with Nancy for more than 20 years. We don’t have too many living relatives remaining, which really hit home recently, when my mom found out (by stumbling onto an online obituary) that her (and Nancy’s) Aunt Mary had died…a year-and-a-half ago! While it’s definitely odd (and even somewhat infuriating) that nobody else in the family notified us of Aunt Mary’s passing, it’s emphasized the importance of trying to reconnect with the rest of the family.

Earlier this afternoon, as I was visiting my mother, we were discussing this very subject. I told her that I would really love to try and get back in touch with Nancy, and my mom agreed that she also would very much like to do so. I made a comment about doing a Facebook search later, but then remembered I had my trusty iPhone mere inches away. It occurred to me that I had not so long ago friended an old classmate of mine who also happened to be Nancy’s younger former brother-in-law. A quick scan of his friends list revealed – who else – but long lost Nancy!

I know it’s beyond cliché by now, but it really is miraculous to think how Facebook has turned what was once an absolutely Herculean effort into such a quickly-resolved afterthought.  It’s so great to be back in touch with Nancy, both for me and especially for my mom.