Value of Connections

Posted by Pat Stewart on Nov 18, 2011 in Think About This | 4 comments

In today’s world, where so much is accomplished through technology and society has become expectant of immediacy…fast food grab ‘n go, instant meals at home, automated and automatic business transactions, to try to put a value on true friendship and personal connection we must allow ourselves to think in the newer, faster existence.

Medical experts report that people who have love in their lives, whether that love is from family members or good friends, most folks are healthier and happier.  In our aging society, the elderly who find themselves at home alone seem to suffer more with depression, loneliness and failing health.  Furthermore, when these elderly persons take residence in assisted living environments or even spend daytime hours at elder centers, family members and physicians often report improvements in their emotional and physical health.

I remember after my father died, I was concerned about how well my mother would get along.  She and daddy were very close.  I found myself stopping by her house daily because the thought that she might go through a day without connecting with or touching another human being would be so different for her.

Touch…a hand shake, a welcoming hug, a parting pat on the back and, in the south, a kiss on the cheek are all actions that acknowledge a person and our recognition of them.   Have you ever thought about the people in our midst that don’t experience that?  People who go days, weeks, even months without any real connection with others?

As a child, I recall days filled with friends.  As a teenager, my friends helped construct the person I was to be…validated who I am.  As a person in my 60s now, I find myself divorced with two amazing grown daughters living out of state with lives and families of their own.  They are extensions of me.  They are also two of my very best friends, liking many of the same things, finding value in our lives where we most often see eye to eye on important issues.  I am one of the lucky ones who has that small handful of “BFFs.”  Best Friends Forever…what a blessing to call and be called to that sought after club.

Some of us find ourselves living close and able to interact in person on pretty much a daily basis while others link and connect via ample technology…email, texting, video conferencing, and telephoning.  Many old-timers will chastise techies for the “impersonal” friendship-keeping.  But, tell that to the mother whose daughter was very sick three states away in the middle of the night…she was able to be present to her ailing and most likely frightened daughter who was in turn able to keep her mother updated by texting with their smart phones.  The mother was able to send photos of the two of them on vacation for emotional support and getting her daughter’s head on happier moments instead of the scary ones she was experiencing. Two people, two great friends in some tough hours so far apart were joined by technology and both were the better for it.

Think for a moment about those minutes on September 11, 2001 when the world stood still in horror, lives were lost…stolen…but that was not the last word for many.  Cell phones enabled loved ones to have the last word…”Don’t worry, I’m going to be OK…be happy.”  “I’m not alone, I am OK but I wanted to tell you how much I love you and the kids. You’ve given me a wonderful life.”  On an answering machine were the words, “Mom, I love you so much.  I’m OK.”  And then, there were the cell phones in use on Flight 93 where folks got to say their good-byes and others got the information needed about what had happened on three other planes and then, they decided to take charge and spoil the cowards’ plans.  The flight control agent who stayed on the phone with one of the passengers and together prayed the Lord’s Prayer.  She probably thought it was going to be just another regular day at work earlier that morning.  She did not know that she was going to be the BIGGEST CONNECTION in someone’s life but she certainly was and he will always be a significant part of hers.

So, however we connect…reach out…befriend…it’s valuable.  It makes life rich!

When we call, listen, care, comfort, encourage, love…we’re doing what God does for us every day.  I believe that He sees all and He enjoys seeing the high-tech friending we have going.

He might even be saying, “Now THAT’s what I’m talking about!”