If you look at my house you won’t see the connection that lets me experience places and faces that are dear to me. It’s a connection that doesn’t rely on the Internet or technology.

But it’s a strong connection that reaches into distant states and survives the tides of time.

I am still connected to people and places in an unbreakable bond because I am connected by heartstrings.

I haven’t been to my coal region hometown in decades and may never go there again. But the town and its people that I so dearly loved for so many years will always remain in my heart.

A former coal region resident told me he doesn’t like to tell people he came from the coal region because they might judge him differently and it’s far from his present station in life.

When I meet someone from the coal region I do judge them differently. Based on my own experience I think anyone with coal region roots is open and caring with strong values.

I formed that opinion from what I saw growing up in a place where neighbors cared about each other. Perhaps some neighborhoods were different from those in which I was privileged to live.

As a child and as an impressionable young adult I marveled at the way my Aunt Mary and her neighbors never locked their doors.

It was common for her to come home to find a neighbor brought over a pot of soup or an ethnic dish, leaving it in the kitchen if she wasn’t home. We share what we valued and we valued our home cooking.

After our evening meal (we called it supper) people went outside and sat on the porch, chatting with those who went by or came to “sit a spell.”

Kind, generous and caring. That’s the kind of people I encountered growing up in Shamokin.

That being said, I have to acknowledge one can never go there and find the extraordinary people who lived in our neighborhood. They have long since passed away and I’m told the strong sense of neighborliness passed away with them.

Now, it’s just like any other neighborhood where people don’t even know their neighbors and don’t want to. People now value privacy, not friendliness.

Thomas Wolfe’s immortal line is “You can’t go home again.” When I revisited my hometown after being away for decades I found we can’t go home again, at least not in the way “home” was in the past.

But heartstrings will always connect me to my hometown the way it once was.

I believe the friendliness that was ingrained in me growing up in the coal regions will always serve me well.

The other day I found some old photo albums and sat there lost in memories as I saw photos of people who were once part of my life. Sadly, some have passed away and others moved or just disappeared.

Looking at pictures brought back fun times and special events I had forgotten.

There’s an old saying that states some people come into our life for a day, a reason or forever.

I value each and every person who came into my life, even if it was ever so briefly. Looking at those photo albums reinforced how blessed I have been to have had all those people encounters.

Many left footprints on my heart that will stay forever. My forever friends will always be connected to me by heartstrings, even if I don’t see them often enough.

We never know who will turn into a forever friend, do we?

When I responded to a small notice in the newspaper about a free djembe drumming class, I thought I might find a new hobby. I found that and a lot more. I found lifelong friends that have brought such joy to me.

I don’t see Moe, Colleen and RaeAnn often enough but I hold them close to my heart. Just thinking about our times together is enough to let me know how blessed I am to call them friends.

This week I had a great visit with my forever friend Lenny. There are good friends, great friends and extraordinary friends in a special category of their own. That’s Lenny.

The friends who are with you through tough times are definitely the gold in one’s life.

It’s easy to be with someone when it’s all about laughing and having fun. It’s quite another thing to be in the foxhole with someone as life’s bullets try to mow you down. That experience builds a special bond that lasts for a lifetime, and beyond.

I formed that bond with Mary when she was with me through the emotionally hard years of Andy’s sickness and death. Some people are so special I think they had to be sent by God. That’s Mary.

When I think about people connected by heartstrings I think of my four aunts who did so much for me all my life. They taught me at an early age that “family” is a sacred word never to be underestimated.

They are all gone now but believe me when I say they are connected to me forever by heartstrings.

Spend some time thinking about those in your life who remain connected to you by heartstrings.

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.