I didn't take the time to figure out Facebook when I first joined. We hadn't clicked. I finally decided to join many of my fellow AssistU Virtual Assistants and delve into the marketing value of social networking. I discovered it's a treasure trove of relationships, connections, and word of mouth advertising for your service or product (more on that in another post). Then it got personal!

2009-07-12_0016 Once I 'got it' I couldn't stop digging —who could I find from my past? Could we reconnect? I grew up in Freeport, Grand Bahama. I attended several private schools there and can now appreciate the idyllic childhood I lived in that lovely coral paradise. Facebook had groups for people who used to live in the Bahamas—there were groups from my grammar and high schools! Many didn't recognized me but they did remember me; Laura Tressam was a unique name. 😉 I even found the first boy I kissed! I dug out my yearbooks and baby album and started scanning and sharing pix and continued reconnecting with long lost friends.

Many of my chums were actually in South Florida, imagine that! And though Lisa and I were a year apart in grammar school she caught up with me in high school right before I moved to Florida. For the past twenty years we have lived barely ten miles apart. Now that's digging and finding pure gold!

Last week Lisa and I met at her home (just off the same road I live off of) where she prepared a delicious vegan and gluten free meal and desserts (she's creating a cookbook!). We reminisced, shared our lives over the past three decades, reminisced, laughed, cheered, thanked the Universe, reminisced, and laughed some more. Did I mention we reminisced? A lot. I stayed five hours.

We've already made plans for a road trip this week to see my man Wayne Dyer.

I'm thankful for Facebook and the technologies that keep us connected in a disconnected world. I'm thankful for new old friends. I'm thankful for the synchronicities and serendipities of the Universe to align exactly for the ideal friend to appear at the ideal moment.

May you be blessed with new old friends.