We live in a world of social media surrounded by what I call "ghost friends". Perhaps they are better known as "cyber friends". These are the friends that are there in the shadow of wedding anniversaries, showers, baptisms, graduations etc. In all the happy times, they are there to cheer us on, and send their approval ie. "like"... everytime anything positive happens in our lives. Yet, when those darker times come over us, the social media world becomes silent. After all, who wants to hear about a divorce, a miscarriage, the loss of a job, financial difficulties, an illness, a death? These are the things that we must deal with in the quiet of our own hearts.
I am not making a judgement here because I know I have also been a "ghost friend" to some. In the bustle of life it becomes very easy to lose track of other loved ones lives and troubles. It is hard enough to make sense of our own lives sometimes.
A few years ago a dear friend of mine that I had known for twenty years committed suicide. I had seen or talked to her on multiple, brief occasions before her death, and I never realized how much torment she was going through. I am haunted by this now because I realize that I was, at that time, a "ghost friend" to her. I was there to cheer her on for her new job endeavors, her childrens' academic and sport successes, yet I never once realized the dark place that she was in. This saddens me because despite the access that we have to social media and telecommunications, we live in a very disconnected world.
I don't pretend to have all the answers. I can only follow my heart and hope to hear the voice of God. Because I know that if I do, I just might be there for someone who just needed a real life friend to hold their hand and listen.... <3 BFF
