Wedding Photographs

Can you believe that it's almost been 10 years since Aaron and I started dating? Gosh, I'm getting old. I was looking through some of our wedding pictures last month, hoping to find some of me and my Grandpa's together. Here are a few that made me a little emotional. Thinking about our wedding and looking through these pictures made me wish I could go back to my wedding day, and give my Grandpa Jim and Grandpa Lambert a big hug and tell them how much they mean to me. 

 

 

 



Social Media Assignment

It seemed like a coincidence when a few days after reading the letter in my last blog post, I was assigned a social media project for my General Education Capstone course. According to the instructions for the assignment:

"The introduction of new technologies has significantly affected the social lives of many. These changes, which reflect how people use technology to interact, provide an example of trends that you might examine in your Final Research Paper. For this discussion, identify a significant change that has occurred in the way people communicate and share information, and reflect on the impact this change has had on individuals and society in general today (local and global). Keep in mind that not all social trends affect all groups in society to the same degree. In addition, examine the influence of social media on an individual’s personal and professional pursuits." Below is a selection of my response:

The introduction of new technologies has most definitely had a huge impact on the social lives of most individuals. Written letters, postcards and land-line telephones are just a few examples of things that are becoming obsolete in this world of technology and social media. In place of these almost archaic means of communication, we now have cell phones, iPads, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Skype and Face Time. All of these are supposed to make us feel more connected with one another, but have they had the opposite effect? In my opinion, yes.

Although these advances in technology and social media have their advantages, I think that a lot of people have become so consumed with spending time in front of a computer, cell phone or iPad that they actually missing out on what’s going on around them. I think that it’s becoming normal for toddlers to be able to navigate their parent’s smart phones. Why? Because they see their parents spending so much time glued to their phone. Then, parents wonder why their pre-teens and teenagers are so obsessed with their smart phones. Well, maybe they are imitating what they saw when they were growing up.

I just wish we could all take a step back and realize the importance of things that are tangible. Things like written letters and face to face conversations. These advances in technology have had a significant impact on the way that people interact with one another. As I stated, these advances do have numerous advantages. But are we becoming so consumed with these advances in technology that we are missing out on what’s happening right before our eyes?

On My Mind

I came across this a few weeks ago and I have been thinking about it often.

 

Dear Mom On the iPhone,

I see you over there on the bench, messing on your iPhone. It feels good to relax a little while your kids have fun in the sunshine, doesn’t it? You are doing a great job with your kids, you work hard, you teach them manners, have them do their chores.
But Momma, let me tell you what you don’t see right now…..
Your little girl is spinning round and round, making her dress twirl. She is such a little beauty queen already, the sun shining behind her long hair. She keeps glancing your way to see if you are watching her.
You aren’t.
Your little boy keeps shouting, “Mom, MOM watch this!” I see you acknowledge him, barely glancing his way.
He sees that too. His shoulders slump, but only for a moment, as he finds the next cool thing to do.

Now you are pushing your baby in the swing. She loves it! Cooing and smiling with every push. You don’t see her though, do you? Your head is bent, your eyes on your phone as you absently push her swing.
Talk to her. Tell her about the clouds, Mommy. The Creator who made them. Tickle her tummy when she comes near you and enjoy that baby belly laugh that leaves far too quickly.

Put your eyes back on your prize…Your kids.
Show them that they are the priority. Wherever you are, be ALL there. I am not saying it’s not ok to check in on your phone, but it’s a time-sucker: User Beware!

Play time at the park will be over before you know it.
The childhood of your children will be gone before you know it.
They won’t always want to come to the park with you, Mommy. They won’t always spin and twirl to make their new dress swish, they won’t always call out, “WATCH ME!”
There will come a point when they stop trying, stop calling your name, stop bothering to interrupt your phone time.
Because they know…
You’ve shown them, all these moments, that the phone is more important than they are. They see you looking at it at while waiting to pick up brother from school, during playtime, at the dinner table, at bedtime…..
I know that’s not true, Mommy.
I know your heart says differently.
But your kids can’t hear your words, Mommy. Your actions are screaming way too loudly.

May our eyes rest upon those we love, first and foremost, and may everything else fall away in the wonderful, noisy, sticky-fingered glory of it all.