“A friend is a gift you give yourself.” –Robert Louis Stevenson

This week’s theme was originally inspired by my niece. She commented on how she’d like a little inspiration, even an excuse, to reconnect with an old friend. That simple thought triggered the concept which I think is an interesting one in this day and age of online social networks. For instance, since getting a Facebook page I have been flabbergasted by the number of people from my past that have contacted me, some I didn’t really even know that well.

I’m a bit of a “memory lane” sap so I’ve been quite taken by these contacts. I love considering the past, even those times that may have been a bit rougher. I think they have much to teach us. A couple of years ago, I spent quite a bit of my personal time digitizing home video. Seeing my kids as babies makes the time seem not that long ago. Similarly, I found a VHS tape of an old, old home movie of my mom and her parents from the 1940’s. I digitized it and edited it slightly before putting it up on YouTube for my family to see. If you’re interested, take a look. And, yes, that’s my grandmother being a little silly with a couple of very large tomatoes.

For the purpose of inspiration, I invite you to take a look at another video, this one the true story of a reunion between a lion in the wild and the two people who first rescued the lion, raised it, and then released it when it grew too big. See if this video doesn’t inspire you to reconnect with someone from the past. View it here.