Setting the Record Straight

On my trip to Ottawa, my friend KPF and I reminisced about our time in the IT program where we met. Between the 2 of us, we tried to remember our 34 classmates. While we did that, I spoke to him about being an emotional support animal to so many of our classmates. KPF, for some reason, thought the opposite … he wondered if they were my emotional support dogs?! I was very indignant and was quick to correct him - I told him that I was the emotional support dog!! (Dog sounds so bad; but the female equivalent sounds worse!)

Anyways, the whole exchange got me thinking about the content I have created on this blog. Each blog post seems like a short life lesson for the boys. There are just enough details to make a point, but NOT enough to paint a clear picture. I feel like there is a need to fill in the missing pieces. I don't want anything I said/say to be misinterpreted. So, as a first step, I am going back to a memorable post to flesh out some details.

As already mentioned, the guys outnumbered the girls in the program - there were 6 girls and 30 guys! Then, one of the girls left! This IT program was a 9-month post graduate diploma course, and it was very intense and came with a hefty price tag of $17, 600. Some of my classmates had families and were changing careers and were very serious people. The others, like me, were single, fresh out of school and a little more relaxed.

I guess I made it seem like it was like a therapeutic session for me. Maybe it was, but I also did a lot of handholding and did whatever I could to support some of my classmates. Here are a few ‘stories’ from that time.

My best mate from those 9 months was this shy guy who followed a Canadian exchange student, to his country, back to Canada! He fell in love with this girl and left his family behind and came to Toronto with her. He did not have a job and decided to do the course. He quickly found out how much he hated IT, but he decided to rough it out as he wanted employment so badly. I sat beside him every class and walked to the subway station with him after each class. I had so much respect for him for not giving up. I also loved his commitment to his girlfriend.

Then, there was this guy who took a lot of pleasure in teasing and torturing me. He would call me “soda pop” and sing silly songs. He was the only one who commented on how I smelled … like baby powder. He thought it was the perfect smell for me! This guy stressed me out. I shared with KPF that it was because of this guy that I saw my friend for the first time. It was St. Patrick’s Day, and this guy was threatening to pinch me as I didn’t wear something green. I must have been visibly scared and KPF found this green sticker on a chair and stuck it on me. I guess that was when he became my hero! (And I wonder now if this person would have actually pinched me?!)

For the duration of the program, I sat between my best mate and another guy. This 3^rd person was introverted and didn’t socialize with anyone. At one point, I thought Craigley was interested in him. They did this presentation together and it ended with the last few words from the movie Casablanca. I think they also went out for dinner or something. I maybe had a distorted perception of that situation. The reality, for me, was that I sat between 2 men whom I found to be decent and with whom I felt safe. And that was that.

Here, I want to repost a sentence and provide a bit of commentary on it.

I believe I flirted outrageously with every guy who showed an interest; it was just that and nothing serious.

I should have the words “every guy” replaced with “the only guy” because that’s the truth! This dude supposedly had a girlfriend, and yet he hovered over me. Perhaps he needed some sort of attention or acknowledgement. One day, he went down on his knee and proposed to me with a ring he put together with some plastic/paper, and I playfully accepted. That was the most “distance” I went with him. We never hung out outside of the walls of the building the program was housed in, but within the walls I was showered with a lot of weird devotion.

Anyways, over those 9 months, I only saw KPF and wanted him to be part of my life in any capacity. That was the only connection that meant something to me. I was willing to put time and effort into it. No one else was on my radar, and yet, I ended up dating one of the guys (not mentioned above) briefly and then, eventually married Craigley!

All of this came back to me because KPF wanted us to remember our classmates from 27-28 years ago. Some memories were fun, and some not so much! What I did get from reminiscing was that I have led an interesting life and have met some characters. It also got me thinking about finally writing that book. In my attempt to set the record straight, I realized I am ready to write more than a page at a time.

The *Last* School Year

Yesterday, I had about 2-3 minutes of in person time with Hans. I was back at work this week and barely saw the boy. I wondered how he was doing?! To which, he responded with the following:

I am Good-ah like the cheese ... Life is just a breeze

Then, he paused and said that this feeling will last for just 4 more days, and then he will not have a life!

Hans is starting Grade 12 next week, and he is still not sure what he wants to do a year from now. I am not too concerned right now. I am sure he will figure it out. Fortunately for him, he has surrounded himself with some high achievers whose parents are on top of things. They are all picking up my slack. :-)

Hans had a great summer. I did too. We did our own things, and we also did stuff together. As we both prepare for our last school year together, under the same roof, I am super excited for next summer. It is good to "not have a life" for a bit. That way, we truly appreciate life when we get to live it the way we want to live it.

My Teaching Partner: Conclusion

I guess this is the concluding post.

I got an early morning call from my principal on Tuesday. The guy accepted the job. I was a little dejected as I got ready for work. When I got to my classroom, I saw a cute giraffe stuffy sitting on a table, and I was a little confused. It was brand new and a good size and just sitting there! It looked like a gift. Then, my principal makes an announcement to see me in her office. She let me know that the new CYW would be dropping by the next day and he is great as he comes with plenty of amazing references. That was that!

All I did after that was walk around a little bit trying to get a grip on my new reality. Then, I run into my principal in one of the hallways, and she wondered if I found the gift?! What?! That was her?! And suddenly, I felt a bit better about my new reality. Life is not that bad.

On Wednesday, I got to meet Mr. C, the new CYW. We ended up spending 4 hours together. I showed him around and let him know everything about everything. I introduced him to other staff members, and it was hilarious when one of them informed him that he is going to be the only male surrounded by a bunch of menopausal women. I was glad that she said that, and I didn’t have to! Mr. C didn’t look like he was going to rush to HR and change his mind about working with all of us.

Turns out Mr. C is okay. We both think the best batman was played by the same actor. In fact, Mr. C named his child after this actor’s last name. That aside, we had something else in common - we both love our jobs! And I truly appreciated the following first message I received from him.

Hey Momley! It’s your new favourite coworker, Mr. C. … I’m looking forward to this year. Thank you for being so genuine and accommodating.

And I truly believe this will be a wonderful school year. I will initially miss Ma Bean like crazy; but I also know, whether I like it or not, life goes on.

My Teaching Partner: Part 2

Today was my 1^st day back at work, in person. I did not hear anything about Miss Bean coming back and I was a little worried. I couldn’t wait to see our principal and find out what is happening. She was busy and I had to wait. While I waited, I started moving the furniture in the classroom and getting everything back in place so it is exactly as the students would remember it when they come back on September 2, 2025. In the process, I discovered that 3 chairs had disappeared. That was a good distraction for a while.

Eventually, the principal wanted to see me. It turns out that Miss B didn’t even make the shortlist for the interviews as she is not permanent staff. What?! And the principal offered the job to the best candidate. And it is a guy!! Why?! I wanted to scream and stomp my feet; throw my arms up in the air and walk out of there. However, I did not. I tried to focus on the positive … this guy hadn’t accepted the job yet! That’s good news. Apparently, he had 6 other interviews. That’s great news. So, I still don’t have a CYW for the classroom.

Now, why would I be so upset at the possibility of working with a guy? Normally, I wouldn’t be. It is just that my workplace has 100% female staff and support staff. The only 2 male employees are the morning and evening caretakers. So, this guy (if he were to accept the CYW position) would be the only guy … and he will be with me! For us to work as a team, this guy would have to be as openminded and as humble as they come. As mentioned in an earlier post, power politics could get nasty in special education classrooms. Anything can set a person off. I would literally be thinking twice before I speak.

I am not sure why things happen randomly to me. Right now, though, I am hoping this guy has found his dream job elsewhere and he is not showing up to work with me. I guess I will let everyone know in a concluding post someday soon.

The Last Trip to the Ex

I am so surprised that I haven’t written about the CNE even once in 463 posts!

Ever since my friend Kay moved to Toronto 7 years ago, the trip to the Ex has been an annual event with Hans and her boy who is 11 months younger than Hans. The boys were 9 and 10 when we went to the Ex for the 1^st time in August 2018. That was also the year ASid had his 1^st paid summer job and it was coincidentally at the CNE. We were also joined by our friend C (Manda) and her 2 boys.

At the CNE, there is always a person who will take a wager to guess someone’s age or weight. If they guess within an acceptable range, they win. If not, someone gets a prize. I decided to win a stuffy that summer in 2018. I had just turned 44 and 3 years prior to that I was mistaken for the mother of a woman who was 8 years older than me! I knew I was going to win whatever prize I wanted! And I did! The person, who was a young lady, thought I was 56. Yes, for real.

This year, I felt like it was going to be the last trip to the Ex. So, partially for nostalgic reasons and partially because the guy was so entertaining, I decided to lose some money. I told the guy that I don’t even want a prize! At which point, my friend Kay interrupted me and let it be known that we would take a prize. I told her to be my guest. I also told the guy that people are always overestimating my age, and I am used to it. I told him that he was going to lose. This guy was probably my age and a total charmer. He took off to have a consultation with the lemonade guy, and then he comes back with a sticky note with a number written on it. Then, it was the moment of truth. I said 51 and he had 46. What?? That had never happened before. So, this guy’s free advice to me was to laugh more as that makes people look younger!

As my friend and I walked away with a small stuffy, I remarked how the boys are getting older, and we may have to come back to the CNE on our own next year. My friend looked at me like I was insane and let me know that we can find a better place to go to than the CNE. I guess that’s true. It is bittersweet. Little Hans took forever to explore the grounds of the CNE. The current version of Hans, who is taller than his Momley, makes the grounds seem smaller than ever before.

This is the first of many goodbyes as my little guy inches his way to adulthood. 

Addendum:

This is a correction to the 1^st sentence of this post. I wrote about the CNE, for the 1^st time, exactly 7 years ago. So, this is the 2^nd post about the CNE.

What’s in a Family Name?

Of all the relationships I have had, the most fun one has always been with Smoggie. I haven’t seen him since 2009, and yet he has been the recipient of all my emotional outbursts. He is always my 1^st call, even when I know he is not at the receiving end of that call - I’d rather leave a message for him than talk with anyone else.

This morning, as I checked my email, I realized for the umpteenth time that Smoggie created that email account for me on March 23, 2000. That was the day I told him that I was marrying Craigley! My new email id had a new family name. Smoggie knew, without a doubt, I would make that change.

When I did make the change officially 2 or 3 months later, my mother was disappointed. She thought she had raised a strong woman, and she didn’t understand why I felt the need to take on my then new husband’s family name! To be honest, I didn’t think that much about it.

Now that Craigley and I have been separated for almost 3 years, I have been asked that question again - are you changing your last name? Right now, the answer to that is “no”! My children and I share the same last name or family name. We are a team, with or without Craigley - so, this is like a team name.

Everything I have accomplished in the last 25 years has been with that team name. Ironically, the name of this blog was partially contributed by Craigley (although he is blissfully unaware of it).

When Smoggie created that email account for me, even before I married Craigley, he knew that I was serious about joining the new team and I was going to give it my all. And I did. The team is stronger than ever!

Revisiting and Revising

About 6 years ago, on August 26, 2019, I shared a song for ASid here. I recently took a second look at it and was seriously disappointed. That was so amateur; but I guess I had to start somewhere. So, here is to right-ing that wrong. Here is my second attempt. It is no longer a song, but a poem of sorts. I’d like to believe that it is less pretentious and more honest than the one written 6 years ago.

As you leave home

Here is some advice

Leave it or take it

They are just words

Dad may not have been there

Ma could have done better

There wasn’t always sunshine

There were dark days

You shone despite

You carved your path

You are off to a start

Do not look back

Life is a race

You can be a horse

But be the beast

That carries the weight

No matter where you land

No matter what you do

Know this within you

The joy you brought this life

In 4 days, ASid will be 24 years old. He has shown an amazing maturity in the last 3 years. He has been the best older brother to Hans. He stepped up in every way.

I believe one day I will write that song, for him, with him … I may have found my writing partner!

Summer of Momley

My friend C, whom I may have named Manda, has wanted me to have a summer named after me. I believe her wish came true this summer.

For the 1^st time in a few years, I started my summer break without doing any paperwork for Employment Insurance. It was a great feeling as I felt that I earned this break. Imagine my horror when the 1^st pay cheque I received on July 3, 2025, had all of $0 as my reward. I won’t go into details here, but I found out that due to some payroll oversight (error), I wouldn’t get paid at all for the 2 months. I couldn’t get anyone to fix this problem as everyone was on vacation. I almost cancelled summer. Lucky that I ran into my bank person at a bus stop. She reminded me that I am richer than I think, and I should enjoy my summer. And I did!

I believe I went out about 30 times and that includes a nearly 2-day trip to Ottawa. I watched movies, in the theatre, by myself and with others. I completed 2 online courses that had a deadline of August 1^st and simultaneously binge-watched all seasons of Mad Men as the series left Netflix on July 31^st. I also watched stuff that Hans wanted me to watch with him. I spent time with my child. I spent time with my parents as well.

I was inspired to write this post as I got to spend a few minutes with ASid yesterday. I don’t get to see my boy as much anymore and the opportunities that come by are few and precious. I filled him in on my trip to Ottawa as I not only saw my friend KPF there but also had a brief visit with ASid’s best friend while I was there. I shared that I like how KPF lives his life. He pursues his interests and passions. Currently, he is a PhD student, and he told me that when he is done, he could play piano for the next 10 years! How does one live life like that? With such utter abandonment!

How ASid responded to that was beyond a mere pleasant surprise! He said a whole bunch of words and I hope I remember them accurately - “Some people have no sons, and you have two sons. You can do whatever you want. You need money, you can borrow from me. You can just take it. You don’t even have to return it. You can live like your friend KPF if you want to!”.

I was almost speechless, but I always have something to say. I told him that I love my job, and I can’t wait to get back to work. To which ASid also told me that I do not have to work until I am 65! (To be fair, a teacher should stop working when she can no longer look at her students joyfully.) Before I digress, I was so happy that I took the time out to meet with ASid. My commute was longer than the time I got with him, but it was totally worth it.

This week, I will be at work for a bit. Next week, I plan to be there every single day. The following week, I am reunited with my work children. Can’t wait to see them and see how they have grown. Can’t wait for a full school year of teaching. It is wonderful to watch children learn, grow and become their own people.

It has been a great summer!

My brother's best friend

Sir B made an appearance on Momley Moments exactly 12 years ago. Since then, he has appeared here and there, and most notably in a post where he took ASid to his work. An edited version of that post was also published as an article in a local magazine.

The boys don’t need an introduction to Sir B or UB. My brother, who seems to be my only reader, definitely does not need a primer on his own best friend. I guess I just felt the need to provide context in terms of the space UB occupies in our lives.

Recently, it has come to my attention that UB and my brother are on some sort of hiatus. I hope they figure it out. All of this has been unexpected and has given me some cause for concern. It has also allowed me to reflect on friendships in general.

ASid mentioned once how his first heartbreak was when he had a fallout with his first best friend whom he had known since kindergarten. The friendship abruptly ended when they were in high school. Although ASid had many other friends, the loss of this one relationship affected him to no end. Fortunately, last year, this first best friend reached out to him and despite the years that had passed since, ASid was rejoiced to make that connection.

These days, I feel like I am losing some connections of my own too. However, I have also realized that if people want you in their lives, they will make an effort. If not, it is okay to let them go.

My Teaching Partner

I started my 1^st year as a contract teacher on October 10, 2024, and wrapped up on June 27, 2025. There is so much I can write about; however, I want to focus on just one person who made it the best school year. I am going to call her Miss Bean.

Miss Bean is a CYW, Child and Youth Worker, and she was my teaching partner in our classroom.  (The name I chose for her is because her last name gets mispronounced sometimes and it becomes Ma Bean or Miss Bean.) The 2 of us were perfect strangers thrown in together on October 10^th, and she didn’t have a contract yet, permanent or otherwise. It didn’t deter her from giving it all. We put together a semblance of a classroom as we waited for students and equipment to arrive.

A couple of weeks later, students started trickling in one by one. As they made their staggered entrances, Miss Bean and I started learning about them and programming for them. After we had 4 of our 6 students, the CYW position was posted online. Miss B applied and did not get it. I was devastated. I think I cried. The following week, I was at work expecting to meet the last 2 students and the new CYW. Although Miss B and I were barely together for 3 weeks, we built a classroom from scratch and made it a welcoming home-away-from-home for our students. Without her there, it felt like a sad and empty house.

That week was challenging. I had my full roster and the new CYW declared at the very end of her first day that she was overwhelmed. She had 2 young children of her own and she was drained of all her energy by our mighty 6, and she felt like she couldn’t go home exhausted at the end of each workday, and so she decided to quit at the end of that week. Imagine my horror!

I immediately reached out to B, and she didn’t seem very enthusiastic about coming back. She felt she didn’t get the job because she wasn’t deemed competent by the powers that be. Since it was a situation of urgency, there were others who reached out to B as well. Finally, we all convinced her to return. The day she came back was the best day of the school year. After that, even the most challenging day was a walk in the park.

In a classroom, with students who have special needs, staff need to trust each other and make students the centre of focus. B and I were able to do that. One of our students told us that we were like her “parents at school”. The real parents were happy as well. It was a wonderful school year.

Today, Miss B will find out if she has an interview to get back to her job for the upcoming school year. I went to sleep thinking about it and woke up thinking about it. I want us back together in our classroom on September 2, 2025. Recently, my work has become an essential part of my being. I can give it everything and always feel appreciated in return. Half the credit goes to B, and I hope to come back here to share some good news. There are all sorts of heartbreaks, and I am hoping desperately to avoid this one.

The MOST expensive ride in recent times

I went on a whirlwind trip to Ottawa. I left Monday morning and came back Tuesday evening. The trip was positive as I spent time with whom I perceive to be the best person I know, my friend KPF, and I also spent time with ASid’s best friend.

This post is nothing to do with what transpired in Ottawa. It is about 2 rides I took in Toronto. The first ride was on Monday morning to Union Station. The UBER trip cost me under $30 including tip. On the way back, I emerged exhausted from the very station and literally got swarmed by taxi drivers. I was too tired and decided to take one up on the offer. As I made myself comfortable, the taxi driver calmly informed me that the cost is $70 if I pay cash and $74 if I pay with a credit card. I believe I should have taken that moment to exit that cab. However, I must have been super tired. I stayed put and told the guy I am good to go!

As the trip commenced, I casually checked on UBER and realized that it would have cost me around $30 like the day before. So, I asked the taxi driver why they would be charging more than double of what the other service charges?! Why would anyone even want to hail a taxicab?! The taxi driver talked about how the City sets the rates and he likes the security it offers. Apparently 2 bad reviews on UBER and you can’t work for them anymore. Through this exchange, he must have felt a tiny bit of remorse as he offered me a senior's discount which he claimed was the most he could do since he realized we are all going through tough times. So, the final offer was $65. I was like “Hey, I don’t want to take money away from you. I am okay with whatever!”.

We eventually got to my building. I get handed the machine. I see the discounted amount and I see 4 tipping options … the first of which was 25%. I was like “seriously?” and the taxi driver was like “there is a custom option” and I told him that I will use that to give him back the discount. And that was my best offer.

I got home to my apartment with no air-conditioning, but the warmth I felt was welcoming as that taxi ride left me cold.

Tragic Scenarios

Finally, I am reading a book! It was gifted to me by ASid. I mentioned this book here and must have talked about it enough for him to buy the book for me. In the book, he inscribed these words:

To my darling mother, who always finds the joy in tragedic scenarios! - Your son :) Jan 4 2022

I think he was going to write “tragedies” and changed it to “tragic scenarios”. Even he may not remember why he did that. I am guessing the first choice is perhaps very general and it could be misconstrued as finding joy in tragedies like Greek drama or King Lear, whereas the edited choice comes across as more personal.

The inscription made me realize how well my son knows me. And it also made me realize how I have been avoiding my own tragic scenario. I have been ignoring the broken parts of my life and trying to find joy anywhere and everywhere.

The truth is that sometimes there is no joy to be found … the sense of relief that is felt, at whatever period later, is a satisfactory substitute!

So, what are you?

Today, I went out for lunch with a former colleague. She is “former” because she has been surplussed and deployed elsewhere for the upcoming school year. I wanted to thank her for something kind she did a few weeks ago.

My way back home from work consists of a 15-minute walk and about 45 to 60 minutes on the bus. It was a rainy day, and my teaching partner offered to drop me off at a bus stop, as she does sometimes. In the parking lot, we met this “former” colleague who insisted on dropping me off as she was driving farther than my partner. It was a feel-good-moment for me, to have 2 offers! I went with the better offer, I guess. And then, to my immense surprise, this lovely woman drove me all the way to my home. It was a 40-minute ride, and I knew it would be a longer ride for her to get back to her own home which is closer to our work.

How do I properly thank such a person? I decided to never ever forget her kind gesture. But also decided to take her out for lunch. I reached out to her the other day and asked her to choose the place as well as date and time. She did and we were at this lovely French café today and we got acquainted.

Part of our conversation revealed something that is a little unsettling within the special education realm. There are teachers and there are support staff, and sometimes they socialize outside of work; but mostly keep interactions within the classrooms.

So, when I reached out to her, she was apparently surprised and exclaimed to her mother that she couldn’t believe that Miss Momley wanted to spend some time with her! Her mother wasn’t impressed with her being so shocked and asked her why I was so special. Her response was that I am a teacher and she is just support staff. Her mother told her that we are both human beings and that’s that!

I agreed with the mother. Wouldn’t it be nice to NOT have such perceived hierarchies? And I also had to remind myself that I know some support stuff who believe that most teachers would flail and fail if not for them. All this backhanded bickering sometimes creates a stressful environment for everyone. So, the question to truly ask is “why are we here?”.

A Pretty Face

About 4 years ago, my cousin’s daughter arrived in Toronto, with a full scholarship to a graduate studies program at York University. Until that moment, my parents had 3 grandsons and since then, they also have a granddaughter. For me too, it was an opportunity to broaden my horizons and stop being just a “boy-mom”!

So, this lovely young lady, recently graduated from the program and is currently looking for a job. I had lunch with her the other day. She let me know that she now has some time to date. She also informed me that she had already been on one date. Obviously, I was excited for her and wanted to hear all about it.

She didn’t want me to judge her in any way. She was afraid she would come across as pretentious. It turned out that she went out with someone who is an electrician. The fact that she did was a good sign, from any perspective, as her studies were in virtual reality. I mean, you never know who will end up being your soulmate. It is not what they do, but who they are!

Anyways, at the end of the date, she felt like he wasn’t her “intellectual equivalent” and that was it. This was the part she was afraid I would judge her on! But I did not. I thought it was incredibly brave of her to be so honest with me. Then, I gave her my 2 cents. Conversations are important between people - if we can’t connect at that fundamental level, all other connections don’t add up to much eventually. I mean you can only look at someone for that long!

Really, who am I to give any advice? And yet, I did. We shouldn’t be afraid to make mistakes, but we also should not be afraid to choose what works for us. I can’t imagine, but it must be unbelievably challenging to look at a pic, read a profile, and take a chance. So, why not take as many chances as one needs?

When this young woman has her entire life ahead of her, what is the rush? All the pretty faces can wait! 

Happy? Content?

Recently, I had lunch with someone whom I have known for many moons; however, I had never had an opportunity to have a one-on-one lunch with this someone. It is interesting how I think I know people, but I guess I don't know them as well as I'd like to believe. Well, I am glad I made the time, and I am happy with the reacquaintance of sorts.

A day prior to the aforementioned lunch, I had another lunch with a teenager and his parents. The lunch materialized because of yours truly waiting for a pizza and having a run-in with the dad. We started talking about the boys. Their boy is 2 years older than Hans. Then, the conversation led to the older generation. Eventually, the dad wanted to know what Craigley was doing. At which point, I had to let this gentleman know that Craigley and I hadn't been together for almost 3 years. He was visibly shaken, which was an unexpected reaction, and seeing such a response from a relative stranger also got me emotional. This man insisted that I meet his wife who was waiting in their car in the parking lot. So, I ended up catching up with his wife as well. She burst into tears, and it was weirdly therapeutic. I did not realize that people cared that much about me. So, I agreed to have lunch with this family.

I don't remember having a meal with an entire family by myself. I mostly chatted with the mom and their son who is 19 now. I recalled the child from when he was 6 years old. He was at ASid's school in French Immersion, and he was having a challenging time. I suggested to the parents to visit Hans' school and see if that could be a better fit for their child. And it was! The boy was there for 5 years, and he told me that those were his best school years. He also told me that he enjoyed his first year of university. He wanted to know how Hans was doing. I shared with him that Hans and I needed some time, but we are happy now. And this young man was like "but are you content?".

As a Gen Xer with 2 Gen Z kids, I get annoyed quickly when I am asked questions like that! I don't want to make any blanket statements, but it feels like these kids seem to think they are more enlightened than every generation that came before them!

So, am I content? I guess. What I concluded from 2 very different lunches was that I need to get out more and spend time with people and get updates on lives that I don't see daily. Reconnecting like that is a good reminder of how I might have impacted some lives, and it is a wonderful opportunity to allow others to impact my life.