Fredericton — Depressed, alone, down and out. That’s how Fredericton woman Lorianne Butcher-Bee was feeling on Sunday before seeing that exciting little red indicator pop up on her Facebook notifications.
“It’s one of the most exciting things that can happen to people,” she recalled with the look of hope filling her widened eyes. “You never know what it’s going to be. Did someone like my profile picture? Did someone reply to a comment I made in one of the groups I’m in? Is it someone’s birthday? Is a friend of mine interested in an event that’s happening nearby?”
What it was, though, was far more life-changing than anything Butcher-Bee had envisioned. She told The Manatee that when she clicked on the notification, it showed that she had been tagged in a random meme that she says “spoke directly” to her soul and has changed her life forever.
“It was simple and eloquent and beautiful,” she described, clearly unsure whether she should be saying “eloquent” or “elegant.”
“And it was exactly what I needed to read. Since scanning those few lines, my whole life has changed. I’ve taken control of my life and over these last 24 hours have made so many positive changes in myself.”
The aforementioned meme was three lines posted over a faded background of flowers and a sunset that read “Be more than your problems. Be more than your worries. Be you and be you as much as you can be you.”
It was discovered that Butcher-Bee was tagged in the post by her friend Janet Hamm.
“I just knew it was perfect because it was done in a blue background,” explained Hamm, “and I knew that she loved blue and backgrounds — it was the perfect combination.”