Social media has become the new way of communicating not only with our loved ones but also with the world.
I can say that I resisted social media for some time—I was only looking at what it was taking away, not what it was offering. So I eventually decided to embrace social media and make the best of it.
Facebook has been the easiest social media channel for me to embrace. I find it to be a place to connect with friends and family that are far and near, to share inspirational stories, quotes, and a place for our voice to be heard.
“Honor the space between no longer and not yet” by Nancy Levin is a quote someone shared. I stared at it for sometime trying to understand the depth of the words. It inspired me so I decided to share it. Reading and sharing inspirational quotes and stories is the main purpose of my use of Facebook—stories and quotes that have touched my life and that I hope by passing them on it will touch the lives of others.
A friend of mine liked my Nancy Levin share, and shared it on her timeline. A day later she commented that this quote is not only blowing her mind, but the minds of others. I read this quote again and again for the next day or so to understand why my friend and others were having such a reaction to it.
I got it! I took a deep breath and I saw it! And most importantly I felt it. The space between the “no longer and the not yet” for me, is that emptiness that I feel letting go of what was and not knowing what will be.
An experience I had about a month ago came rushing to my mind as I had the understanding of what this quote’s message was. It was a quiet night, my husband and I were watching a movie enjoying our time together when suddenly I felt this odd feeling and the words, “Where are my kids?” came out of my mouth. My heart ached like I hadn’t experienced before and a sadness came over me and I began to cry. My husband held me and said, “They are living their life, my love.” At the moment, feeling this sadness, I realized that it finally hit me that my children had grown up and “left the nest.” My two daughters, Samantha twenty-two, and Shana twenty-one, have moved out. My son Kanyon, nineteen, is still in the nest, but pretty much on his own.
The emptiness that I felt that night was that my children no longer needed me like they used to, and I haven’t found my place in this world without building it around them. That place between “no longer and the not yet” is the grieving that needs to take place before I can move into a new way of being.
I have learned that the emptiness is a place where wonderful things happen. Being in the place of the unknown provides me with the insight to things I have been too busy to feel or even resisted feeling. Being in this place has not been comfortable, yet by grieving and letting go of what was, comes the gift of preparing and creating the space for what it can and will be.
Social media has become a friend who gently nudges me to pay attention to the gifts it delivers by the sharing of a quote, a story, or someone using their voice in video. Thank you to all who share the goodness of the world through the social media vessel.
Maria, thank you for your insight, your honesty, and the sharing of your journey with us. You always leave me with another way of seeing.
Thank you for your kind words Audrey. It is my hope that my stories will touch lives in a way that will inspire. Peace and Love, Maria