Karla’s Korner: The Need to Reconnect

I am proud to introduce a new column to Madame Deals! I think we all need a touch point a place we can go to be inspired. Karla is my children’s teacher, a good friend, and a person with a heart of gold. I hope that her words will inspire you to do more. We are only as good as the people we surround ourselves with. It is important to listen with your heart and proceed with your eyes open. Enjoy!

The Need to Reconnect…..

Remember back in elementary school when someone would pass you a note that said “will you be my friend?” and at the bottom of the note would be a big box for yes and a big box for no and you were supposed to check one? Skip ahead a few years and if you were fortunate enough you might find a note stuck in your locker that said “will you go with me?” That did not happen very often to me but I remember when it did I felt like I was on top of the world, but then again when you are in middle and high school events like that are the top of your world. And then life changes. Some go away to college while others stay home and go to community college (like I did) and some enter the work force. Then the real world kicks in and you find yourself married with children working to make ends meet, struggling to get enough sleep and juggling the demands that life is throwing your way and a vague memory of those oh so important friendships from so long ago. Yep, that’s what happened to me. When I graduated high school way back in 1985 I commuted to the community college, worked at the mall and lived at home with my parents. And just when I had decided that I was probably going to end up an old maid (I was all of 20 years old) I met the man who would eventually become my husband. We married in the fall of 1989 and moved away on what I call our life journey. I never really looked back because I thought that that time in my life was history and I needed to move ahead with the future.

For a long time, I did just that. I focused on the future, gave birth to my children and followed my husband as his job transferred us around several times. Moving was not always easy and making friends was not always easy for me. What was even more difficult is leaving friends behind each time we moved away. Every time we would relocate I would promise myself not to get too close to people because it hurt too badly when we left and each time I quickly found myself presented with a brand new friendship. Each new place brought special people in my life and each move took me away from them. I chalked it up to life and tried not to look back because to honest, it hurt too much to look back.

Several years ago social media became all the rage and I decided to jump on the bandwagon and take Facebook for a spin. There are some who believe that this social networking stuff is bad and causes a lot of trouble and while I believe that negative things have come out of it, for me a lot of wonderful things have happened because of it. I have discovered or reconnected with friends from my past that I would not have otherwise been able to find. Just this past Friday my husband and I were able to spend time with a very dear friend, Paula, whom we had not seen in 15 years. Currently living overseas with her military husband, she was home in the states visiting her family and arranged to see us for dinner. Paula and I had reconnected through Facebook a year or so ago and have been able to rekindle our old friendship and strengthen a new one. Paula began following my blog posts on Madame Deals and Lifetime Moms and has become one of my biggest supporters. As our relationship has blossomed since we found one another again, I realize just how much I have missed her. Having been apart for all those years my husband and I were quite excited to see her. Hugging her for the first time in so long was such a joy and the conversation that followed allowed us to catch up on each other’s lives and commit to not losing one another again. And while we are thousands of miles apart in distance, we can connect with one another at any given moment through the wonders of technology.

Every person that passes through our lives helps write our life story. Whether they are present for one chapter or many, their presence whether long or brief creates meaningful connections. Is there someone from your past that you think of from time to time or are you reminded by someone when you hear a certain song on the radio or see in a dream? If so, it might be time to reconnect to them. Seek out that person or persons who have left an impression on your heart and renew what has been lost or put aside and enjoy the gift of reconnection. Their reappearance is a gift and does not  happen merely by chance. You have to seek out what is important to your life story. Who knows, if you are lucky like me, you will find that some of your greatest blessings are those you thought you had lost.

Peace,
Karla

Check out all of Karla’s Korner articles here.

Also, please visit Karla’s Lifetime Moms page and read her articles.