SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTS US
I don’t know what you think of social media sites, but it has changed the world in just a matter of a few years. It certainly has changed my life, as I’m sure it has changed yours. I had an interesting discussion with a friend about this after the memorial/jersey retirement of Donnie Schuelke last Thursday at the baseball game in Minneota. Donnie died a few weeks ago in an automobile accident, he was loved by everyone. Donnie had just graduated from Minneota high school this past spring.
Social media has connected all of us. A good example of that is what’s happened in Minneota the past few weeks. I didn’t really know Donnie very well or his family, the most contact I had with him was through social media sites, especially Twitter. Donnie would tweet me Minneota scores and keep me up to date with Minneota sports happenings and once in while we would chat about a game privately on Twitter, or he would re-tweet my Tweet. And a few times at games that I would cover on the radio, he would come and sit and visit with me for a few minutes. My favorite memory of Donnie is a few years ago at a girl’s basketball game in Minneota that I was broadcasting, he came and sat with me holding the program in his hand and he was asking me about broadcasting sports on the radio and how I liked it, he was really interested in what I was doing, when he was going to leave he asked me for my autograph. Nobody had ever asked for my autograph! At first I thought he was joking, that maybe his friends were putting him up to this. But he was very serious about getting my autograph. I must say he put a smile on my face and made my day! I signed his program.
So that is my only contact I had with Donnie Schuelke, like I said I didn’t really know him, never spent a lot of time with him personally or his family. Yet I felt like I knew him well, all because of social media.
Another thing social media has done in this situation is bring communities together. Through social media we can reach out to the Schuelke family and the Minneota community and let them know we are thinking and praying for them.
Years before social media, if something like this happened in a community, you heard about it on the radio or read about it in the paper later. It seemed distant and you couldn’t feel the pain that the family is going through or the community, with social media your heart and your thoughts are connected with them. Looking at Donnie’s family and friends posts on social media you get to see what kind of life Donnie lived and how much he was loved and how much he loved people. It connects you with him, even though you don’t know him well.
Last Thursday Minneota and the Dawson Legion teams met for a double header. Between games Minneota coach Keven Larson and the Minneota team along with the Schuelke family, the Minneota fans, Dawson legion team and Dawson fans walked out to center field for a memorial and jersey retirement for Donnie.
Coach Larson did an amazing job with his speech to the many people gathered in center field to honor Donnie. The team unveiled a sign that Coach Larson made over the weekend to be in center field for all of us to remember Donnie. It was very emotional. I cried, because it was so sad that a young man’s life has ended, and he had meant so much to so many people.
On the way home, I reflected on that moment that I just experienced moments ago on that baseball field. I was overcome with emotions, sadness, hurt, I felt so badly for his family and friends and my personal friends from Minneota that i know are hurting and grieving.
And a big reason for my strong feelings about this is because of my connections on social media with all these people. Social media is a powerful tool that can stir up strong emotions in all of us and either makes us feel happy or sad. Social media does connect all of us!
My prayers and thoughts to the Schuelke family and Minneota community.