When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares. ~Henri Nouwen
This is a small thank you to those of you that have touched me through my Twitter stream. Today I reached 50,000 followers. It is with a very humble heart that I share this with you. 13 months ago when I started writing my profile and signing up on Twitter I thought, who is going to follow me and what will I ever say to them? What I have found in Twitter can only be understood if you connect to others on Twitter yourself.
Who would think that someone you do not even know, that might even live a world apart from you, would ever have really touch you in any way that really mattered. The followers in my stream on Twitter do that each and every day. There is never a day that goes by that someone does not ask me how I am doing, and really is waiting for a genuine answer. They are not saying that just because they need something to tweet. They are saying it because we have connected!
Within 140 characters we connect in such a way that I never would have thought possible. We have shared the joys and pains of our lives. We have cheered at achievements and listened when an ear is all that we can give. We have reached across the miles, across borders, stretching into countries we will never see, and we have connected in such a way that lives have actually been changed just by tweeting.
I saw the love and caring working at it’s fullest in Twitter when I lost my mother this past summer. People from my stream that I had never connected with followed her health progress with me. They prayed and told others and people that were not even following me were praying. It is not only your followers that touch you, but they ReTweet to people following them, and some of those people in turn also reach out to you to offer you hope and comfort.
When Mom passed on, many of my followers listened to me and offered me love and comfort and encouragement. Some even shared loss of their own parents with me. It was a process of healing and these people helped so much. As in the quote above these people chose to share my pain with me and reached out and touched me with the viral hand of 140 characters. Often they only gave me a place to share my grief, but they were always there.
Besides, the sorrow they also share in the joy! Many connect and ask how business is going, how the projects are going, and are interested in what is going on in our lives. Yes, we even laugh and joke and play tricks on each other, make fun of our funny hats, or dance in the rain, or a number of crazy other things like the week we had a virtual pillow fight!
My Twitter stream is filled with new friends. A year ago these people were strangers to me. Today, right now, I could send out a tweet and someone would be there to answer a question or smile with me, or share a moment of my day. Twitter changes daily, so people will come and go, but the spirit of the people of my Twitter stream will be always with me. Many people have touched my life just by connecting.
When you follow someone, you actually do yourself a great disservice to not try to connect. You just never know what kind spirit you may find that will touch your lives as so many have touched mine.
To my followers, I thank you for the wonderful opportunity you have given me to connect with you, to learn from you, to laugh with you and to share moments of our lives.
Follow me on twitter if you don’t already
http://www.twitter.com/denyseduhaime