Scary and disturbing news any time, but -- thanks to good old Facebook -- even more so, because we knew that two of dh & BIL's cousins, their spouses and a few of their friends were in Paris that day -- they'd just arrived the day before for a few days of fun and milestone birthday celebrations, posting giddy shots of plane tickets and wine glasses from the airport lounge.
I immediately went on SIL's computer to check my Facebook feed. (Times like this are when Facebook can be a really good thing.) Thank goodness, one of them had posted just minutes before to say they were all together and safe. They had been on a dinner cruise, completely oblivious to what was going on, until news filtered through. They had to WALK back to where they were staying -- because everything, including transit, was shut down -- spent a sleepless night huddled together in one room, and managed to get a flight home the next day.
Paris sometimes seems very far away, but needless to say, the events of this past weekend hit just a little too close to home for comfort. We are thankful that our family members returned home safely -- but we're also all too conscious that many, many others did not. :(
You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.
Glad to hear your loved ones are okay. This was so senseless.
ReplyDeleteSometimes social media can be a very good thing, Happy to hear they are safe.
ReplyDeleteThat must have been terrifying until you knew for sure that your loved ones were okay and safe. It must have been incredibly surreal to get off the dinner cruise and find a city in chaos and lockdown all at once. I'm glad facebook was a friend and not a foe on this terrible day.
ReplyDeleteSo glad they were safe. It must have been scary for a bit.
ReplyDeleteA sad post. We were at the beach when we were reading the news, and it made me feel very very quiet. I'm glad social media was able to bring you that peace of mind and connection to know they were okay.
ReplyDeleteI suspect this is why people have reacted so strongly to the events in Paris, over attacks elsewhere. Most of us can imagine being in Paris, or have been there, or have friends who are there or were there recently. Paris is a little too close for comfort, whereas Beirut or other places often seem impossibly far for many.
ReplyDeleteI learned of the attacks on Facebook, as it was the middle of the day here, and we weren't watching television or listening to the radio. I'm glad DH's cousins and spouses were okay. Shortly after learning of the attacks, we visited two of my own cousins and spouses who were in town. I think I appreciated the time with them even more, knowing that others had lost their family members in such an awful way.