~for the land of long ago and far, far away~

You know,  I kind of think there's something about growing older that makes you stop to pause and remember for all you are worth, about the place and time that brought you to where you are at this juncture in your life.  In your heart and mind, you remember where you came from and all those people, who for better or worse, helped to shape you into the person that you are today.  And I guess I would dare to say that if you are "forgetting" from whence you came, that you really are not YET the person that you were destined to become in this life.  As for me, that place in time that I came from  is a little town called Haven, Kansas and my heart swells with pride each time I think of it.  It was "home" to me for all of my growing up years, and of all the gifts that my parents could have given me (aside from teaching me how to work hard for what I wanted in life) I would have to say that the greatest thing they did on my behalf was to choose that little Reno County town to raise me and my siblings up in.

Hey, can we talk about "Facebook" for a moment?  This "Facebook" thing is a pretty powerful tool~some say it's the "best" while others refer to it as a "curse", a "time sucker".   I'm not going to get into a debate over the merits or the drawbacks of using this online "social tool".  Everyone has to choose for themselves whether or not it's a good thing for them personally to utilize.  But I say to you all my dear friends,  I love it!  It has allowed me to connect with so very many people from my past, most of whom I have long lost contact with.  Sure, I spend a lot of time on it each day but it's better than several dozen other things I could be thinking of doing.  My "friend" list contains the names of a variety of people...some from my past, some from the present, some I don't even know yet.  But all of them are my friends and what a privilege and blessing it has been to be included in their "every day" lives~the challenges and the triumphs, they all go "hand in hand".  What one of us struggles with, we ALL struggle with and yet at the same time, my "joys and successes" are yours as well.  I like it that way-kind of like a person never really has to feel alone any more.

Now about that idea of Facebook being powerful, well here's a good case in point.  Two days ago, I thought it would be fun to create a new page online called "We Grew Up In Haven, Kansas".  The whole purpose was to provide a place for those of us who wanted, to share our memories of living there, going to school and/or working there, and for many of us, leaving there.  I invited probably 50 of my Facebook friends to the page, thinking it would be a fun way to communicate with one another.  That's all I gave much thought to, didn't expect much more.  Now two days later the number of folks that are members of the site is well over 200!  I had forgotten that the friends I had on Facebook would have other friends to invite as well.  Thank goodness that they did!  In a little more 48 hours worth of time, our tiny community of former/present "Havenites" has multiplied five-fold.  Wow!  The power of the Internet, the power of the written and spoken word.  What a blessing, a huge blessing it has been to see the names and faces of people I grew up around but didn't know where they were at.  For this, I am so very thankful and will eagerly be looking forward to seeing the numbers grow even more in the days and weeks to come.

It's amazing what those of us posting on the page have all remembered yesterday and today.  Kind of strange what our brains can store up the from the past.  I'm gonna guess that some of the people posting (that'd be those just like ME)  have lost track of their cell phone or car keys in the past day or so and perhaps can't remember the password to our Facebook account that we made last week.  Yet we still remember the businesses (most now gone) that lined our town's Main Street 30 or 40 years ago.  With fondness, we have recalled our favourite drinks from the soda fountain at Grier's Pharmacy and the faces and names of people we haven't seen for a long, long time.  It's been kind of neat to read everyone's responses, almost like having a "virtual" class reunion that we all have been able to attend from the comfort of our own homes.  As I read their messages, I'm reminded that we really were all the same and if we were to sit down this evening together with a cup of coffee in hand, we'd just be picking up right from where we left off.  To me that's the mark of a good "community", the "signature" if you will, of good friends.

My dear friends, I hope that you have as many wonderful memories of your growing up years as I do.  You may have never called "Haven, Kansas" your home but wherever "home" was to you, I hope it provided you with the "jump start" in life that my humble beginnings did.  You know, I really didn't have just ONE set of parents...I got "parented" by the entire town.  I used to think that was a "not so much" kind of moment.  Now I know just how blessed I was.  Have a great evening my family and friends.  To the town of Haven (only one letter away from the word "Heaven" by the way :)  good night and thanks for your part in making Peggy Scott Miller the person "she" became.  I'm strong and capable, just like you!

A wild (LOL) bunch of women, walking the streets looking for trouble in October of 2012~that's all I have to say about it.  Love you three dear friends!