As you may know, Facebook provides a community with friends to us. I have 300 friends registered in my account. Some are quite active posting articles or photos while the others are not. Unfortunately, there are friends even passing one after another since I joined Facebook some 10 years or so ago. So far as I could count, 16 of my friends in Facebook have already gone away.
When each friend's birthday, whether dead or alive, comes on, Facebook tells us to send the greeting for the birthday to him/her. It is the chance for me to visit his/her account. Otherwise, I won't do that so often except for close and active friends. Their pages always tell me how they are doing or how they have lived even if it depicts only small part of them. For those already deceased, it is a proof that they have lived in the world.
Whenever I visit their pages, I feel so sad to have lost them. However, at the same time, I am also caught in thought that they have lived their lives as much as they could and now are resting in eternal peace. They are now free from any anxieties or pains in life. They have transited through this world to another, which we could never know of. Life in this world lasts only for a while. It is a short lived and frail thing. I may finish this journey soon and may join the phase they went for. Such an idea always relieves me. Whenever some friends or family members die, we wish them rest in peace. That implies that we would follow them and join the state of peace later.
Even though I am often captured by worries or even anger at something, I feel I am also getting much freer from any duties or responsibilities when I get older, that is, am reaching the goal of the journey.
Visiting those pages of passed friends in Facebook is a kind of visiting their grave. There, I would see them or, at least, remember of them and swear in my heart I would join them not too long from now.
Thank you for your thoughts about the circle of life. I have saved some phone messages from my father, David Stehman N4DAG. He lived in the Seattle area, very far away from me. One of his messages says, “I’m thinking about you a lot.” I feel our love and connections are eternal, even if a veil (between this world and their world) divides us for now.
ReplyDeleteSusan KD4VXO
It is an impressive story. You were lucky to have had such a father. Maybe, I will look up for the log and QSO records, where he might have mentioned of you. Where was he living near Seattle? I used to visit there with my wife in 2012. It was a nice season in the end of July. It was surely far away from your place going over the US.
DeleteLooking it up, I found 7 QSOs with Dave from Dec '14 through Apr '20 so far as my PC log says. Unforthately, there were no remarks he mentioned of you. It could be just because I have not put it in the log. I know he could have been 81 or 82 years of age by now. He has loved CW so much with various keys. For over half a century. So am I! Also he has enjoyed driving trip with his wife on his RV. It seems he has spent peaceful retirement up in Wash.
DeleteThank you so much for looking up your QSOs with Dave! He enjoyed talking with you very much and told me about your blog. He and Dava lived in Port Orchard, WA, across the Sound from Seattle. Their anniversary was October 31st and every year they would go to the Pacific Ocean in their RV to celebrate. They had a little dog and cat who went with them. For a time they lived on a houseboat with a lanky black cat named Zacky. Now Dava is living in their house with a fluffy little dog named Flower.
DeleteDave was a very friendly person who enjoyed CW. He gave a feeling of peace and well-being to those who talked with him. He gradually slowed down his counseling work but he never fully retired, I think. He continued to see some clients he had known for a long time. So I think he had a very good long life with a sense of purpose. I’m grateful for that.
Thanks again for looking through those records. I’m pretty sure you talked about me because he discovered we had the cello in common. He was so excited about that!
Be well, Shin.
Susan KD4VXO