I got a text from your mom today . . . with a video of you . . . have I mentioned how much I love today's technology?
When we moved to Spain I guess I didn't exactly understand that we'd be an ocean away from all of our family . . . I don't even think I had any idea what it even meant. Of course, I was 7. We'd always lived some distance from everyone, but Charleston was close enough to Savannah that we could visit with my Grandmother Hahn pretty often. And my Grandmother Cochran and Papa lived in South Carolina too . . . so visits with them were pretty common as well. Moving to Key West made visits to Mom's side of the family more sporadic, but Dad's brothers lived down there, so we grew up with my aunts, uncles, and cousins.
But Spain . . .
Phone calls were pretty expensive. Flights home were not going to be an option (though both of my grandmothers came to visit). We wouldn't see family for 4 years!
Then the first cassette tape arrived!
Grandmother Cochran would put a cassette tape recorder on her dining room table and record conversations of visitors. I don't recall getting particularly emotional about it . . . probably wasn't even that interested to tell the truth . . . but Mom would hang on every word. As an adult now, I understand trying to keep that connection. Just to hear her mom and dad's voices must have offered a level of comfort I can now comprehend. She'd always tell us which voice belonged to whom, but we had friends to play with, so we didn't usually stick around very long . . . the conversations were just people talking anyway.
Of course there were letters too . . .
It would have been pretty cool to have FaceTime back then . . . we would have been able to SEE everyone. I know this technological advancement has changed everything!
Deployed soldiers can see their loved ones back home . . . grandparents get to watch their grandchildren in real time . . . lovers bridge the distance that separates them . . . kids no longer have to wonder when they're going to see dad who's off on that business trip . . . nobody has to miss those big events . . . weddings . . . births . . . everything's just a click away on our computers.
So today . . . even though you're way across town . . . I got to see you roll over for the first time! Might not be the same as being there, but it's pretty dang close!
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