Letting Go... Unfriending Happens

Veering a bit off topic here. Today was a good, happy day for the most part. Enjoyed our long vacation the past couple weeks...and also at the same time happy to be home. I sent my kids off to the first day of school this morning--the little one to Kindergarten (here she is waiting for the bus). All was well...except perhaps for a much earlier morning than I'm used to slowing me down a bit. And an extra coffee took care of that. It was a beautiful sunny summery day, and I was making the most of it.

Then I saw her...

Have you ever had a friend who just...went away?  After several years of close friendship with this person, over the last year our contact dwindled remarkably. It honestly wasn't for lack of trying on my part. E-mailed her several times. Stopped by her house a few times--left a message with a guest once and a note the other times. Sent a Christmas card. Posted on her FB page when a status or photo caught my eye. But eventually I noticed that she wasn't reciprocating. I know... Duh. *eye roll at self*

I'm a pretty positive person, which means that when I reached out and didn't connect with her, instead of thinking oh she's mad about something, I just assumed there was something keeping her busy or whatnot. So then I'd try again...same result, but hey, maybe life threw her a curve ball.

A combination of things happened today, the result of which put me in a seriously pensive mood. I actually saw her today, walking along at a distance as I drove by (I knew it was her, but she wasn't in a position to see me). I also had a FB exchange with a mutual friend. So seeing as this person is good about posting there and keeping up to date, I checked her FB page tonight...and noticed for the first time that she's no longer my "friend". Wow.

I've been around social media enough to know that when this happens, it's a deliberate action on the part of the other person, not some glitch. So at some point, she went to my page, clicked on me and "unfriended" me. This from someone with whom I used to trade off watching our respective kids. We helped each other out when sick, did social stuff on a pretty regular basis. One of my few pop-on-over friends, if you know what I mean.

Yes. I know it's time to let go. I just can't help but wonder what it was that brought things to this, though.

I'm baffled...but I finally got the message. And it happens. Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.