The Joy of Skype

Skype is my joy and my connection to family and friends on the other side of the land.  My daughter, my son, my sister, my brothers my nieces and nephews and friends speak to me live and in living color.

I remember not so long ago, the marvel of thought that maybe one day we would be able to see the person we were talking too but not quite believing that we would.  "Ah come on!!! That's never going to happen. Who wants someone to see me looking like this when i answer the phone".

My daughter lived and worked just blocks from me here in hell's kitchen.  I see and talk to her much more now that she lives over 3,000 miles away. She points the camera out the window so i can see her many bird feeders and the beautiful birds and nature she now has out her back door.  I see my beloved Amber, her dog i held as a puppy on the day she came to join her family here in Manhattan. She is a west coast dog now.  It took her some time to get use to her freedom of space but now i see her outdoors and having the time of her life with the critters that nose around her territory.

My son puts his phone on the dashboard of the car and i drive from Tucson to Phoenix with him while catching up on life's happenings. He has to secure the camera though or i get car sick. He keeps me up on what he is doing.  I'm grateful for that.

My sister opened the sliding door of the weekend get-a-way she and Kirk stayed at while at the spectacular Oregon coast.  I heard and saw the waves crashing on the rocky beach and the seagulls flying and circling overhead.  I saw the sun set over the mighty Pacific.  Plus i had the now weekly skype visit with my sis.

I love skype and highly recommend it to people who have friends and relatives in far away places. It won't replace a warm hug but it does come with no expectation and is the next best thing to being there.

Oh! by the way--I  will join the family at the super bowl this sunday as they gather together at my brothers in Medford.  I will be able to see and talk to each of my siblings and their spouses at the annual feburary birthday gathering held at my sisters in Coos Bay.   One day i hope to be there in person but since i can't, we skype and i'm a happy camper.