I grew up in a very small town in southeastern Kentucky. My life was simple and I am grateful for that. Check out the picture of a small portion of my beautiful family. During my childhood, and yes this ages me, there were no cell phones, no computers in school or at home, no internet, no Facebook, no Twitter and certainly no iPods. We did have a game where you could play ping-pong on the television...but I don't even remember the name of the game.
My favorite part of my childhood was the fact that I grew up really knowing my family. On my Dad's side of the family all of my aunts and uncles and cousins lived next door. We went to the same school and for the most part played together most days. My Grandmother lived among us as well...and this was great to say the least!!! When I reflect back on this I have such fond memories of running in and out of her house, especially during the summer, and on top of that she was a fantastic cook!!!
My Mom's side of the family was a little more scattered but many of them, including me and my siblings, would meet at my Mom's Mothers on Sunday, we called her "Mamaw Dorton," for dinner. Nothing better than Sunday family dinners and Mamaw Dorton's cooking!
However, in today's world it seems like families are becoming more and more spread out. I moved away from my hometown 20 years ago. That was difficult for me in the beginning but as time passed I found ways to deal with the absence of family. Now my son has followed suit and left the nest...only his new home is a couple of thousand miles away...in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He has blessed me with a beautiful granddaughter and I am expecting my second one in February. Thanks Matty! Of course I have to include a picture....check it out.
Learning to make the most of life and family, while not experiencing the next door family has been and continues to be a challenge for me. I try to do all that I can to stay in touch, especially with my little princess granddaughter, but this has not been easy. But thank goodness times are progressing and there are miracles among us!
My recent technique for staying in touch is Skype. I absolutely love it! I Skype with Brooklyn a couple of times a week for a few minutes. Brooklyn, even at 2 years old, knows what Skype is. For those out there who may not know about Skype...you should know that it is absolutely free and when downloaded onto your computer allows you to speak with someone, as well as, see them visually on the computer. You can get your free download at http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/home. Completely free!
As Brooklyn has grown and gotten to the point that she speaks clearly Skype has become more and more fun. Recently we had a great conversation about her toes. She kept saying Grandma, Grandma look at my toes. Of course the high chair tray was in her way and she said Dad move the tray, move the tray. She then proceeded to remove her shoes and socks to show me her nicely painted toe nails...they were purple! She told me about her Aunt Emily painting her toes. This was great for me to be able to hear her story about her toe painting experience.
There have been many other such times along the way with Brooklyn and Skype. She blows me kisses, makes funny faces, giggles, sometimes cries, makes a mess and cleans between her toes...sometimes all during one Skype conversation! Below is a picture of Brooklyn in her high chair talking to me on Skype...check out the cute smile! I took this photo utilizing Skype during one of our conversations.
For anyone out there who longs for their family give Skype a try! It is definitely worth it! You may miss out on the physical touches of your loved ones...but you can stay in touch and be part of their life. Nothing warms your heart more than to turn on the computer, utilize Skype and hear a sweet voice say, "Hi Grandma." :-) Life is good!
