FACEBOOK AND FATE ( CONT ’ D ) non-fiction ,.
THIS IS THE PHOTO THAT JUMPED OUT AT ME . DEFINITELY MY UNCLE BERNIE AS A YOUNG MAN .
1970s . They were little kids at the time , a little older than my own kids , and it was the only time I ever saw them .
You read about things like this happening , but you never expect it to happen to you . That first exchange led to a whole slew of IMs on Facebook once I got back from my date . Lisa gave me the Facebook pages of more cousins . Some I remembered , and others I ’ d never met , like Susan , who had already sent me messages by the time I got home .
Susan and I messaged back and forth until 1:30 that morning , and I learned that she was my Uncle Phil ’ s daughter and her mother June was 90 now and still alive . It just got better and better . As a kid I always idolized my Aunt June . She was quite a bit younger than my uncle and I ’ d always thought she was so cool . Susan said she had already told her mother that we found each other and there was excitement all around . Susan will be traveling to Las Vegas this spring .
The next one to surface was my cousin Judy , whom I lost track of as an adult in the late 70s , and we ’ ve planned a phone call . She is Lisa ’ s half-sister . My daughter was beyond excited . As a little kid she loved Judy for the short time we knew her , and now she was back in our lives . Jakki called me from England where she lives , and for almost an hour she reminisced about all the times she remembered spending with Judy .
What can I say ? Sometimes fate moves in strange ways , and as people have pointed out , some good things happen on Facebook .
Consider this : This entire scenario would not have happened if I had not had the impulse to check Facebook even though I was ready to leave . I looked at exactly the right time for that comment to be visible , because anyone who goes on Facebook knows how quickly posts disappear . If my cousin hadn ’ t kept the Shifrin in her name — I would have had no idea that she was related . Too many coincidences , for Fate not to have a hand in what happened .
I have always believed in Fate , and I truly believe this was meant to happen . Now that I ’ m in touch with the cousins , the connection won ’ t slip away again .
WINTER 2017
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WRITERS ’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE