Long before there were computers or the Internet my sister was Facebook. Hardly a birth or birthday on three continents misses Jennifer Arthur’s attention. She remembers wedding anniversaries for at least half of Durban and, now that she is on holiday in Australia, I am sure she gathering friends and addresses and birthdays all over the Central Coast. If you met my sister on a bus between terminals in a busy airport and shared the briefest moment of chitchat you’d be guaranteed a Christmas card from her forever.

She is a living switchboard connecting people whether they like it or not. Family members or old friends, who for whatever reason try to get away, have no hope. She’s onto them – writing, phoning, being so nice they come sprinting back into the fold.

It’s uncanny. She is always “online” and by this I mean “up” and happy. Unlike computers, my sister is never “down.” I have never met a child who didn’t want my sister to be his or her grandmother. She’s “Granny Goose” or just “Goose” all over the place.

Yes. Long before you ever clicked to be someone’s friend on Facebook you were already on my sister’s list. She is just waiting for you to accept her friendship – then she’ll get your snail-mail address and send you a birthday card until you die – after that, and forever, she’ll send “I’m-sorry” cards to all your relatives on the day that was your birthday.

Posted on August 25, 2009 at 8:50 pm in Friendship, Leadership, Voice, Womanhood   |  RSS feed |   Reply   |   Trackback URL