As the clock struck midnight and we celebrated the start of a new year, 2020 looked promising. Personally, the beginning of 2020 meant the end of the holidays, and a time where I can shift my focus on what will happen in the coming year.

For all of 2019, I was planning my wedding to my future husband. Since we’ve both been married before, we decided on a small gathering of family and close friends in my parents’ backyard (which happens to be park-like and gorgeous in the spring). Spending a lot of time going over dates and trying to please those who are closest to us, we decided on Memorial Day weekend 2020; a time when family from out of town can stay for a little while and the weather (and flowers) will likely be as close to perfect as we could ask.

Then along came coronavirus, and little by little, we saw our plans deteriorate over the last month. I’m not heartbroken, and I’m not going to become a bridezilla and demand that things still go my way. But, our plans have had to change. It is what it is, and we’re just going to have to be okay with that.

I consider myself lucky that I didn’t have a big soiree planned. There aren’t flower orders to cancel or event spaces to find. I know that there are a lot of other people in that boat; some who are having to rearrange their plans entirely.

I’m hoping we don’t have to do that. So, I’m crossing my fingers that the county government opens back up just in time for us to grab a marriage license and begin our happily ever after. The party may have to wait, but it will still go on. May is the month I’m going to marry my best friend, and come hell, high water, or COVID-19, we’re going to make this wedding happen...one way or another.

I have always been a bit of a social butterfly. When I was little, I made new friends pretty much everywhere I went. I was never shy, and willing to strike up a conversation with anyone who would pay me mind. So, when the Internet gods (or Mark Zuckerberg) invented social media, I was practically first in line to sign up for an account.

Like many people my age, I started off with a MySpace, or a Xanga (remember that?), but eventually Facebook took over, and I was right in the mix with some of my oldest friends, and some new ones, too. Right around the time Facebook became popular, I was a stay-at-home mom to my infant son. Of course, I’ve had to explain to my now-14-year-old Michael that his dear mom is in fact older than Facebook, or Google, or even the iPhone (much to my chagrin, of course).

Like many social media users, I’ve seen the good and the bad. However, in times of social distancing and putting our health and wellness first, I, like many, have turned to Facebook and the like to get my friend fix. Now, not only is my social media account being used to keep in touch with long-distance relatives and people I care about, but I’m also using it to keep tabs on my local friends, too. And it’s been refreshing, in a way, to see that other families I know are going through the same struggles as we are (I feel like I’m constantly cooking and doing dishes at my house and I miss going out to eat).

Besides the “social” aspect of social media, it can also be a tool for information, news, and entertainment. It is also very, very powerful. Last week certainly proved that testament to be true, as a woman in Texas posted a photo of a class ring from Ruskin High School found on the playground of the daycare school where she works. Within just a few hours, the owner of the ring was found, all thanks to the power of social media. This just goes to prove how small our world truly is these days.

My friend Liz Ogle over at Grandview Parks and Rec is certainly no stranger to social media. She is the creator of the infamous Grandview and Martin City Business Rant and Rave page on Facebook, which has garnered over 6,000 active members since its inception a few years ago. Though, her activity just within the last week may have topped it all for her Facebook career.

Knowing that families were desperate for a way to celebrate the Easter holiday while maintaining social distancing guidelines and keeping everyone healthy, Liz decided to don a bunny costume, pose for some pictures, and then personalize signs (using Photoshop, naturally) for hundreds of community children. You can see an example of one she made for a little girl named Autumn on page 8.

This little community project she came up with turned out to be not-so-little. In a matter of days, her post reached nearly 4 million viewers, from here in Missouri and much, much farther beyond our state’s borders. I’m sure she had no idea how much her bunny suit would be seen, and how very needed that was for families all over the world right now.

That’s the power of social media. I suppose we never really know what people are going to like or respond to. Whether we use it to share our dinner ideas for the evening, or we want to reach thousands or millions of people with our content, social media is an avenue that continues to provide us with a little bit of connection in a time when disconnection is critical to our survival.

If you don’t already follow the Jackson County Advocate on Facebook, I’d invite you to give us a like. We appreciate all of our readers, whether online or in print, new or old school, and we thank you for your support. While social media can be powerful, we feel that knowledge is even more so. Keep on reading and supporting local journalism. We can’t do this without you.

Whether you’re staying at home these days or you’re heading off to work at your essential job, you’ve probably noticed that spring is in the air - finally. On the nights that it’s been warm enough to sleep with the windows open a bit, I’ve been greeted in the mornings with the sounds of birds singing and whistling their springtime tunes.

With so much uncertainty in our day-to-day lives, it’s been somewhat refreshing to know that despite what may be going on in the world around them, the birds are still waking up happy each day. That has definitely lifted my own spirits these last few weeks. I’ve enjoyed spending some time out on my deck, watching the cardinals dart from tree to tree, or seeing the hawks fly well above everything else off in the distance. Seeing them from afar is one thing, but this spring, I’ve gotten to experience the joys of springtime birds up close and personal at my house.

A few months ago, I purchased a new wreath for my front door. It is synthetic, but made to look as though it has twigs and vines and flowers surrounding it. I proudly hung it up and have enjoyed seeing it when I come home from work each day. Apparently, however, someone else really liked my new wreath, too.

For a week or so, I kept noticing what looked like small pieces of my wreath on the concrete stoop below. A time or two, I’d walk up just in time to see someone fly out of the wreath. “You stay out of there and quit taking pieces of my wreath with you,” I’d yell at the little thief.

I noticed, though, after some time, that it appeared to be the same bird I was seeing, and it looked like she was making herself at home. Sure enough, she made a cozy little nest, right in the top of my new wreath on my door. By the time I found it, there were already five little eggs nestled inside.

My Mama Bird, as I have affectionately named her, deemed my home safe and warm enough to also be her home, at least for a little while. She comes and goes, and we try to disturb her as little as possible. When she sees us heading for the door, she’ll fly away, but never far enough where she can’t keep an eye on her babies. She’s a good Mama Bird, and I feel lucky to be able to watch my own little nature show right outside my front door.

Since I first saw the eggs, one has disappeared, and two have hatched. Mama Bird remains at home most of the time now, only leaving the nest to go searching for food or to make way for the humans to pass through the doorway. She is loyal, loving and ever-present for her little ones.

Mama Bird has reminded me during this crazy time in our world that even though there is sickness, uncertainty and sadness, spring is still in the air. The birds are still singing their songs. And, there is beauty in the most ordinary of places; you only have to look right outside your front door to see it.

Happy Easter and happy spring. I hope you’re able to sing or whistle a tune with someone, feathered or otherwise, too.