Inspirational Memes: How Facebook Saves

My friend Elizabeth has posted inspirational memes on my Facebook wall EVERY SINGLE DAY for months. MONTHS. Nearly six months in fact. EVERY DAY.

I met Elizabeth through a retreat for moms of traumatized kids. She was at the retreat in February while I was sleeping next to my teenage daughter’s bed in the pediatric ICU after she nearly put out her own candle. Early childhood trauma is a nasty beast.

I had to keep it together the best I could for my daughter for so long. For years, I drove her to therapists, psychiatrists and doctors almost every day of the week. I had meetings with the school almost as often. I was up all night worrying about her. I was struggling to keep it together for a long time.

Then the attempt happened and I was just so grateful she was alive. It wasn’t a sure thing the first of the three weeks she was in the hospital. As she healed, I knew I’d fall apart once she was stable. So I reached out to my community via Facebook. I said I was going to need people to help me when I crumbled.

That’s when Elizabeth posted the first of many inspirational memes. And has posted one every day since. Other people have told me they now come to my Facebook page to see them because they know it will make them feel good too. Trickle down positive vibes. What’s not to love about that?

Sometimes they are funny. Sometimes they are edgy. Sometimes they are sappy. Sometimes they remind me I’m not the only one with problems. But they are always uplifting. The ones I’ve shared here are just a few posted in the last week alone.

You guys. Facebook saves lives. The connections made there are can be the real deal.

Also, it’s the little things that sometimes make the biggest impact. Impact was made with the very first encouraging meme. That would have been enough. But they kept coming and it’s like a, “Hey, I see you. I know you’re hurting. I know this time sucks. But you’ll get through it. You aren’t alone. I care.”

And that is powerful and amazing.