Thank you Facebook (how about a positive for a change) ;-)

[phorsenuf]

30+ years ago when I was in Jr. high there was a group of us that hung out. We were always together and having fun. I knew these people since I was about 11.

We tried when we were younger to stay connected but lost each other through the years. I moved away, people married, after a while pretty much every one was gone.

Well last year I found my best friend from back then on Facebook. A week before that she had found another, I had found a couple more, etc etc. etc. So now I would say about half the group have been able to reconnect. We've had a great time catching up. I moved to Florida in March and found out that 2 of the girls live 1 1/2 hours away from me down here.
Yesterday another long lost friend showed up in my friends request.

One of the girls decided to come down next month with a friend of hers and go to Disney. She invited me along of course. Then the other 2 FL girls wanted to join in. Then the one that showed up yesterday is coming as well and we heard from another 2 that want to come as well.

So thanks to Facebook we are having a girls Jr high reunion at Disney next month. We've been digging up pictures and reminiscing for days now. We are just so excited to see each other again.

Facebook isn't always a bad thing.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

Facebook lets me see new pictures of my nieces and nephews almost daily... something I wouldn't get to see otherwise.

As in many things in life, Facebook is what you make it.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Facebook has allowed me to reconnect with many friends from years ago. It's great being able to see what everyone is doing now. Right after we moved I went through and scanned in several old pictures which brought many smiles and laughs from old friends remembering the "good old days". FB also lets me connect with my DD16 and her friends on yet another level - you can't have TOO much communication with your teenagers these days! Facebook has also allowed me to "meet" some of the DISers that I have chatted with on here for years (even a super sweet one that sent my adorable son some Disney Silly Bandz!!!).

 

[bumbershoot]

It's allowed me and my HS friends (most of whom were also from junior/middle, and some of whom were from elementary as well) to be adults together. I like it!

 

[powellrj]

My class is planning another bonfire because of facebook. We have had reunions over the years and while they have been sort of hit or miss, last year one of the guys planned a 50th birthday party for the class of 77! We had such a great time, he is having a 51th party in a few weeks. Everyone connected through facebook!

 

[Liberty Belle]

My parents divorced when I was a toddler and my dad remarried. He and his second wife had a daughter when I was 11, but they lived in a different state and then they divorced right after she was born, so I never saw her.

I have a brother, but always wanted a sister. Well, I knew her first name, so I searched for her on Facebook and found her. She lives in Michigan and we went up there for a family reunion (my mom's side) and I called her and we met.

I can't explain...she was a stranger to me, but instantly we were sisters. It was a very emotional, beautiful meeting and I already love her. She's such a sweet, happy person and her husband is great, too. My kids instantly gained an aunt and uncle and she got her first nephews. I'm in tears typing this.

I probably could have found her without facebook, but it made it so much easier, so I'm very very grateful.

Also, during that trip, my mom met up with a friend who she hadn't seen since they were teenagers. My mom's 65.

Facebook has been very good to my family.

 

[MnMomtoboys]

My parents divorced when I was a toddler and my dad remarried. He and his second wife had a daughter when I was 11, but they lived in a different state and then they divorced right after she was born, so I never saw her.

I have a brother, but always wanted a sister. Well, I knew her first name, so I searched for her on Facebook and found her. She lives in Michigan and we went up there for a family reunion (my mom's side) and I called her and we met.

I can't explain...she was a stranger to me, but instantly we were sisters. It was a very emotional, beautiful meeting and I already love her. She's such a sweet, happy person and her husband is great, too. My kids instantly gained an aunt and uncle and she got her first nephews. I'm in tears typing this.

I probably could have found her without facebook, but it made it so much easier, so I'm very very grateful.

Also, during that trip, my mom met up with a friend who she hadn't seen since they were teenagers. My mom's 65.

Facebook has been very good to my family.

I'm in tears reading this.

I have found lots of old friends from facebook and chat with family a lot more than if we just called each other. On the phone I only talk to 1 person at a time on facebook a group of us can chat.

Of course there is my niece who thinks people are only there to make dates. She didn't think it was funny when my nephew and I started talking discussing that we didn't know we were dating and how long we were doing it. It was pretty funny but I'm not sure she got the point.

 

[Family Fun Mom]

Actually, I have not only Facebook but New Kids on the Block to thank. When the New Kids announced they were reuniting for a tour one of my very best friends from my high school days tracked me down on MySpace to see if I had heard and if I planned to go. She hounded me to get on Facebook cuz "everyone" was there. I finally gave in and created a page. Sure enough, all of my old friends were there, including my old best friend (and maid of honor at my wedding) who I had a falling out with years before. We posted pictures, shared memories, and planed a reunion of our own.

That fall, a bunch of us met up to see the New Kids on the Block sing the songs from the soundtrack of our youth. When I saw my former best friend we ran to each other laughing, and crying, and jumping up and down for joy. It was so amazing and one of the most fun evenings I have ever had. Then a few weeks later we had a multi year high school reunion. I reconnected with so many old friends and now have two of my favorite people from "the old days" back in my life. I cannot express how happy I am to have them back.

I also can keep up with cousins from all across the country. If it weren't for Facebook, I wouldn't ever talk to them. Now they are a part of my daily life. I have seen drama, been involved in a bit of it, too. But I learned my lesson on that one and keep Facebook a happy place. It's great when used properly.

 

[mommasita]

Those are all wonderful stories!!

Tonight I went to dinner with 4 other ladies that I have not really 'seen' since HS. We all live nearby, and are on FB together. I went dreading it, as I am extremely shy, and not the social butterfly.

Guess what? I had a GREAT time, and one of the best nights in recent months/years, lol.. The wine was flowing, it was bring your own wine, the conversation was great, and I actually felt pretty good about myself.

FB can be great.

 

[Ceila]

I'll join in! I don't have any heartwarming stories to add, lol, but I love FB! I've reconnected with old friends, but most importantly it allows my family to keep up with each other so much more than before. My aunt and uncle moved pretty far away a couple of years ago, and I don't live in the same state as anyone on my side of the family.

We share pics and they like seeing the "silly" (as someone called them on another thread) updates about what my kids are up to (like camp and getting ready for school). Also I just love reading the posts my cousin and his wife make about their baby boy - I feel like I'm getting to see him grow up even though we live too far to get together regularly.

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

It is good to hear something good about FB for a change!

I did an article recently about seniors and social networking. I found a gal who is in her late 70s who reconnected with her girlfriends from elementary school via FB! They've all been getting together to reminisce.

 

[MerMom60_94]

Another FB fan here!

My nieces and nephews are all adults with their own little families now. FB keeps us in touch and I love when they post pictures and updates. I also have a slew of high school friends who I have reconnected with - we had a reunion back in May which was organized through FB. The best story for me, though, is reconnecting with one of my bridesmaids and some other former co-workers. I worked at a bank before I got married (early 80's) and we were a very tight knit group. I was particularly close to one girl and we were in each others weddings back in 1983. She moved to Florida a few years later with her husband and had a little baby. Well, this was pre-internet when the only way to stay in touch was snail mail and expensive long distance phone calls so the last time I saw her her baby was about a year old. After that we lost touch and I had always wondered about her. This past spring I was finally able to find her through FB, along with several other co-workers from that timeframe. Her husband died four years ago and she moved back up to the area. That little baby is a mother now! Plus, she has another daughter. I was so excited to be in touch with her and we have gotten together for dinner. I also have met up with one of the other girls - she moved to my old home town and lives in a house that belonged to a friend from back in grade school. FB has been a wonderful tool for reconnecting.

I have read the derogatory stories about FB and in my mind it oftentimes is more of a statement of the people involved than it is FB. My guess is people who are easily offended on FB, or who cause drama, are probably the same way IRL, not just on-line.

 

[SC Minnie]

Facebook has allowed me to reconnect with many friends from years ago. It's great being able to see what everyone is doing now. Right after we moved I went through and scanned in several old pictures which brought many smiles and laughs from old friends remembering the "good old days". FB also lets me connect with my DD16 and her friends on yet another level - you can't have TOO much communication with your teenagers these days! Facebook has also allowed me to "meet" some of the DISers that I have chatted with on here for years (even a super sweet one that sent my adorable son some Disney Silly Bandz!!!).

And make really good friends from some people on here.

Thanks to FB I have reconnected with my college room mates. We had lost touch through moves and phone number changes through out the years. I can 'keep up' with neices and nephews from across the country that I wouldn't normally see but every couple of years. I also communicate more with my brother on FB. He lives 3 states away and we are both very busy. With FB we can see what each other is doing.

I never post anything on their that is ultra personal or controversial.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

And make really good friends from some people on here.

Thanks to FB I have reconnected with my college room mates. We had lost touch through moves and phone number changes through out the years. I can 'keep up' with neices and nephews from across the country that I wouldn't normally see but every couple of years. I also communicate more with my brother on FB. He lives 3 states away and we are both very busy. With FB we can see what each other is doing.

I never post anything on their that is ultra personal or controversial.

ABSOLUTELY! I miss my DISpack! My DIS buddies have been such a blessing and source of support, comfort and a million smiles.

I was also able to reunite with a long lost cousin through a total fluke - she is close friends with the girlfriend of a close friend of mine and I happened to see her post on that person's page. We hadn't seen each other in almost 30 years and we both recently lost a parent (my Mom and her Dad who were cousins and the reason we are related). It is like no time has passed and we are as thick as thieves now. My cousin swears that the "cousins in Heaven" had a hand in us reuniting.

 

[Robinrs]

I had a WONDERFUL experience of Facebook this week...

My Dad was the oldest of 14 unbelievable siblings. All but one are gone now that my aunt, the youngest, passed last month.

I have lots of cousins but we rarely see each other. One of my cousins posted a beautiful 40 year old picture of his Mom, my Aunt, who died YEARS ago.

One by one my cousins and second cousins posted about the family. It was amazing. Faces and names I hadn't seen in years. It was like a family reunion on the net!

The amazing thing was the Aunt that passed was the one who always kept up with all of us. No one got married, no one graduated, no one had a child without HER around! Facebook connects us, and that's what she wanted!

 

[KristaTX]

Big Facebook fan here . I've reconnected with tons of people, and last year our 20th high school reunion was so much more fun because we had all reconnected on Facebook. Like someone said earlier, Facebook is what you make it.