Through the years....

Over the years, we recall our high school days with fondness. We remember our teachers. We recall the classes we took, where we ate lunch, where our locker was. But as time dims our minds, it is hard to recall all the friends we made; the lives we touched and the lives that touched ours. When someone first recommended I join Facebook, I thought "Whatever for? Who would I become "friends" with?" But I took the challenge and opened me an account. It has become such a blessing to me. I've been able to reconnect with friends from yesteryear. I now "talk" regularly to people who have been my friends from the time I was two; people who have been my friends since first grade; and people who are my friends now. Friends from up the hollow where I grew up. Friends from high school who shared many classes with me. My friends from church. I now have daily contact with my siblings, my cousins, my nieces, my nephews. I get to see pictures that my friends and family post from days gone by that touch my heart and cause a tear or two. I get to see videos of my newest great-nephew as he learns to sit up alone. I get updated on what is important in their lives. Their new cars, their new jobs, their new refrigerators. I get to share grandmother stories with other grandmothers who are experiencing the same joy I'm experiencing. I get to pray for their misfortunes and celebrate their accomplishments. I get to hear how God is working in their lives and how He has blessed them through the years. Sometimes I think that we have become TOO dependent on technology; cell phones, iPods, Blackberry's, laptops, netbooks, etc. But then I stop and think about all the people who are touching my lives daily that I would not have contact with if it wasn't for technology and I have to stop and be thankful for progress. As we grow and our technical world gets even bigger, I know I'll still have many friends and loved ones that I'll not lose contact with again.