40 Days Without Facebook... :(

You might recognize this logo.

It's one that's become a little too important to me over the past year.

My husband and I first joined the world of Facebook about three years ago, when one of his siblings helped him to set up a page in the summer of 2010.  We had to get with the times, we were told, and Facebook was a great way of keeping up with the doin's of our kids. Okay, okay; so we got a page.  I didn't get my own, because I didn't think I was going to go on there very much anyway.  We thought of my husband's page as "our" page, even though it had only his name at the top.  In those days, I was an old school snob who thought the Facebook craze was completely ridiculous, so I didn't care about having a page of my own. I would NEVER get hooked on it, I vowed; I would never become one of THOSE people. Those "like"-aholics.

Once he'd loaded a bunch of pictures to get it up and running, my husband logged onto our Facebook page only sporadically.  I used to hop on it when I thought of it (which was about once in a blue moon), and I'd leave comments punctuated with smiley faces and hearts.  I left such a comment for one of my sons' college buddies once, because a post of his had made me laugh out loud.  (By the way: I'm giving up use of the acronym "LOL" for Lent.)  He came back with a comment that began, "Mr. Pearl."  Apparently, all the FB friends out there were really my husband's, not mine, and they had accepted the fact that he was into smiley faces and hearts.  Ummm...it was time to get my own page.

Since I've established a Facebook account in my own name, I have become one of those people I vowed I'd never become, I admit it.  I check my Facebook news feed more than once a day.  More than three times, even, or four.  I "like" almost everything I see.  It's way too easy, when you've got an iPhone handy, to do a quick check whenever the spirit moves you.

So last night when I was trying to think of a sacrifice that would really hurt this Lenten Season, I decided to give up Facebook.  I plan to log on for a few minutes every Sunday, just to make sure I'm not missing any important notifications or messages (because there are some people who use it as their main way of contacting me).  But that's it.  I mean it. No Facebook.  No Facebook friends.  No "likes."  I hate to make it sound like a heroic sacrifice, because it isn't; but I do think it's going to be rather difficult getting through the days without my FB crutch.

I'm going to give up desserts, too, and try to use the time I might have spent [wasted?] on FB each day to say some extra prayers--perhaps an extra Rosary.

So if you're a FB friend who's used to hearing from me and you're reading this, you'll know that I'm not avoiding you.  I'm missing you, that's what's happening!  And I'm wondering how many adorable pictures of your kids you're posting that I'm not seeing.  But I'll be back after Easter.  And my finger will probably go numb from hitting that "like" button.  :)