Challenges come in many forms and require a good bit more than the thinking and writing of an “epic post”. Our reward: to be part of an experience in our blogging community. Sometimes the challenge comes in finding the courage to publish said post.
Challenges can be as simple as a child, so proud of his hard work creating the best bridge ever that he watches, in unbelief of the pending disaster, as his sister gleefully tries to help. Sometimes it’s a matter of conquest as a little girl aggressively and with conviction determines she WILL eat this huge slice of watermelon. Sometimes it’s more complicated when we try to communicate with an unseen individual or group . . . .
Now and then we find ourselves the subject of emotional reaction to our words; while I write better than I converse, I wish sometimes communication relied less on our digital world and more on real “face time”. Our eyes and ears are able to interpret an actual moment truthfully, when we are present in the moment, so much more than our imagination can recreate through written word. There are a number of clichés to support that line of thought!
I miss the reality of human interaction; that sweet intonation in the voice of my loved one or friend that a text message just can’t deliver. I miss the excitement of finding the phone in time to hear my mom or my sibling’s voice on the other end just checking in to see how my day has gone. However, having said all that, I am grateful for caller ID (she says with a bit of a smile and a wink). Enough said about caller ID.
I especially miss seeing the expressions of delight, joy, excitement, genuine love, understanding, misunderstanding, gratitude, compassion, tenderness, sadness, realization, and most of all hope in the eyes and body language of our conversation partners.
Being present to bid “Farewell To Mahlon Kline” is one such moment I’m thankful to have had. It was a moment in my great uncle’s journey to his forever home; an important moment in my personal growth and spiritual life. The events of that week (while sad and wrapped in emotion on many levels) were key in reminding me of my own journey in life.
We had two family members at deaths door at the same time, in rooms on opposite wings of the same hospital. Neither would make it back to their ordinary life, both were surrounded by family, friends and loved ones who knew this would be their last time together.
This was not a family that placed importance in being alone right now; that would come later. At this moment Uncle Mahlon’s wife, Aunt Mae, sweetly welcomed anyone who came to their side be they friend or family and she often said she’d never met a stranger. His room was bright with sun shining across the faces of his children and grandchildren; most of them grown.
There were stories of earlier years when his now eighty-some year old body would laugh and play and fish and camp with them. There were memories of silly things shared and precious moments like births, high school and college graduations, military service and the like were praised and remembered. I recall standing along the wall at the foot of his bed, thinking how wonderful – the joy in this room – knowing his many years of struggling with his old tired body would soon be over and he would be in the presence of those who waited for him on the other side.
Many years have passed since my uncle went “home” and many of his family have gone “home” as well, but the memory remains sweetly in the scrapbook of my mind; rich with images words or texts could not capture. Nevertheless, I will write in hopes that my words convey what my heart feels.
So, what then is an “epic post”? That’s different for each of us, but if I have touched your heart . . . . . What do you miss?
It seems like I’m always running into one new challenge, if not more! But I think it’s the challenges that help us learn and grow, so they’re certainly important. One of my life challenges, getting a Master’s degree, is slowly coming to an end, but I know there are going to be many more that follow. Great post!!
Felicia! I can assure you there will be more, but you are exactly right – that’s how we grow! Thank you for commenting!
For many of us, we no longer live in a world where our family is around the corner and we can get together with them. My nearest family members are at least a four hour drive away. So, for me, technology is a better way to stay connected than the old snail mail or just talking on the phone. I do miss the days of living closer to family members.
You are right, Regina, it is very difficult to stay connected when you are scattered across the country. We do the best we can, don’t we.
I miss life as something simple to just enjoy too… adulthood is a sad trap lol. I am so disconnected from my family but they’re all awful people so I shrug it off and made my own family.
I’m sorry to hear that, Eschelle, but moving on with your life and making your own “healthy” family is evidence of your hope for a better life. Good for you, stay strong, find balance, and get to know the one who created you. He’s the one to stay connected to, in spite of your birth family. Look for joy in the family you made.
Thank you for sharing. A heart touched is a heart explored. Your story is one that I hear so often, “how do I live in the moment with the people I love well?” I love that you are posing the question to help people think about it with your own honesty and authenticity. Each week I meet with people that are attempting to learn how to relate to others better. Connecting with others before they launch into their “forever home” is incredibly important. Thank you for offering your perspective.
Thank you, Chuck, for your compassionate heart. I love that your comment picked up on a most important issue (see your last sentence). So glad you visited; you are a blessing to many.
I miss having dinner without everyone looking at their phones every few minutes! My son made a rule when we are with all of them that the phones are all stacked in the middle of the table. No one picks them up until we are ready to leave! YES! Great post!
Thanks! Nannette, your son really gets it! Fathers (and mothers) who lead by godly example and establish healthy boundaries are truly a blessing to their children – and I might add . . . to their mothers.
I miss the simplicity of life before multiple jobs, kids, and responsibilities.
Perhaps we can find little ways to simplify and qualify the little time we do have nowadays.
I miss being able to call my mom when I need her wisdom and writing letters to my dad – he was such the writer 🙂
Away yesterday, missed this. Renee, I too miss the letters; letter writing is a nearly lost art. It was always great to get letters from my mom and my grandma. Mom still sends a note now and then.
My favorite times during childhood were the Sunday when the entire extended family would come to my grandparents’ house for the afternoon/early evening. The stores were all closed on Sundays and the day was dedicated to family. Where have those times gone?1?1
Those are some of my favorites too, but they only happened on holidays because we never lived close enough to make it weekends. Thanks for stopping by!
Well written. Nothing beats face time or personal interaction. Nowadays we use the digital platform to create distance and to shield ourselves. I love to blog and write as well but I also love talking to people and seeing their expressions. Thanks for bringing this topic up!
Olsk_Mercado, you are so welcome. These blog challenges really help foster us in checking the things we value most.
Very well written, I can sympathize completely. I’ve lost a few this last year, my dear Aunt in Nov to Cancer and will always cherish the moments we had together. Write down these memories, don’t allow them to die with you. These are great moments to pass onto your children.
Visiting from Commentathon
Dawn, I’m so glad you commented on the memory I shared and for the encouragement to write them down. They are part of our legacy aren’t they!
Thanks for visiting my blog.
Technology has taken over our lives and we are losing our ability to socialize. Awesome post!
Thank you for commenting! So many seem to feel as we do, Tomesed!
Very well said. Technology is great, but also scary in a way as we seem to become overly dependent on it at times and tend to use it in place of human interaction. Very interesting post, thank you.
Thanks Audrey Ann, sometimes we only need to devote a few minutes in a day or in a week to ease the digital isolation. Yes, we have never been so connected to the world and others . . . yet, never so alone. I appreciate your comment.
What a sweet remembrance. I love time with people too. I had so much blogging to do and we went to my parents’ house last weekend. My daughter told me to take the computer with me, but I said that we had not seen grandma for a while, and she wanted to see me–not the computer!
Thanks, Tammy. Being fully in the moment? Yes, I get that from family too – the want to see me, leave the computer home. Sometimes our responsibilities don’t allow that for a long visit; we just have to manage the time we spend on it.
Amen. I miss lots of things. One that has been on my mind lately is a time a long time ago when I could drop by a girlfriends place or she could drop my mine and we would actually be home. We could sit and sip some tea and a piece of pie. We would just chat. Nowadays, we are working, or running around, but not at home. Now catching up or chatting has been reduced to an email or text. “sad face”
Yes, that is very sad indeed. I also miss those girlfriends and family that you didn’t have to phone ahead if you were in the neighborhood or just needed to have someone help you process something – you could just stop by for that human connection and conversation. We didn’t care if we found one another in pj’s or workout clothes or hair in curlers. It just didn’t matter, we weren’t so worried about our appearance, just our friendship.
I do miss some human communication. It always amazes me when I’m at a blogger meet up and we don’t really look at each other. I’m starting a no phone time zone for my family to try and combat this.
Ooooh! I like that idea! Wonder how many of us have the courage and self-control to carry that out!
I refuse to get in on the texting fad. If someone wants to tell me something they can call me or come see me. 🙂 I agree I would much rather hear the inflection of their voice. so many misunderstanding have been made because we don’t know how to take text sometimes. Beautiful post. Thank you.
Misunderstandings are the biggest pitfall in texting. First it’s hard to learn the text lingo and then you have autocomplete that not only misspells the word you intend but often substitutes some entirely different making you sound completely illiterate. Smart phones often make the user look really dumb. LOL. Wonderful comment, thanks!
Very sweet post, reminds me of when my mother was passing though my memories were not nearly so positive 🙁 so sorry for your loss
Thank you Eschelle, Uncle Mel’s passing was never seen as loss because we knew how he suffered from his illness and we knew we’d see him again. Wish your memories were sweeter.
thank you for reminding us how important realness, communication and family in our lives. Enjoy the weekend.
And you sweet Celine! Thanks for blessing me with your visit.
I miss face time as well. I also miss a handwritten letter. the simple things.
Danielle, you just gave me trip down memory lane! My grandmother was so faithful at handwritten notes and letters. Sometimes it was just a tract or a newspaper clipping she wanted to share – with a little note scribbled in the margin. I loved those notes!
I miss family reunions because we live so far, thankfully last month I got my fix of family crazies! It is hard not to be on the phone all the time, it takes been really intentional about it but we shouldn’t miss the world and people around us because of technology!
Family reunions are a challenge for many of us for many reasons, sometimes (while it is sad to me) technology is the best answer.
It reminds me a lot of when my great-grandmother passed away while I was in college. My then-friend, now-husband remarked it was the happiest wake he had ever attended, as people shared stories and memories, laughing and crying at the same time. We celebrated her life.
On a note about face-to-face interaction, I actually struggle with that. I have problems necessarily hearing intonation and often take things very literally. I hide behind written words and technology as a safe zone where I don’t misinterpret meaning. But I am glad that you enjoy those interactions.
Megan, it might surprise you to know that I am very much hearing impaired and struggle with exactly that. Intonation, I usually take people at their word and need the face to face so I can read their lips and their eyes. Because I often misinterpret what I hear, I write better than I speak. You are not alone.
Great post! And I have to agree that face-to-face interaction is just so much better than all those text messages.
Thanks, I’m glad you agree! Your video helps us keep those faces pretty!
The problem with not having caller ID is that sometimes you’re pleasantly surprised and sometimes not so much.
Hahaha, Jeryl you made me laugh. I have been both at times! Thanks for stopping by and please come back.
I write better than I talk as well!!! But it’s true, face-to-face interaction is irreplaceable. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Lisa! Intimacy in conversation is a lost art.
What a great post. We all need to interact with those around us more and take that time to have quality time, not just a rush to get to whatever you’re doing next.
Jenna, it looks like there are a lot of us who agree with that philosophy.
It’s so fun watching kiddos work through challenges. We’ve been building towers lately too, and watching baby sister nock them down. That made me smile!!!
That was fun, as much as I wanted to intervene – I just couldn’t miss that moment!
Beautifully written post, and a great reminder of the importance of family and genuine, in person interactions.
Thanks Katie! Glad you visited, affirmations are precious.
Thanks for sharing this epic post. I miss my Daddy so very much, I miss calling him on the phone, his words of wisdom, cooking with him, going fishing with him, and just knowing that he was just a phone call away and since he passed my heart has had an empty space for my Daddy!
Toiia, I miss my dad too and there will always be an empty space for him in my heart but I know I’ll see him again.
I often say how I miss that human interaction or how so many people feel the need to avoid it by using email or text instead of phone or face to face. I really enjoyed this. Thanks.
Thanks, Carie! I wonder how far technology will really take us.
Beautiful ost
Thanks Sashi, I really appreciate your visit.
I miss being able to call my grandma when I need help with a cooking project and I miss my mother in laws sweet voice.
I think missing my grandma has been one of the hardest things for all my family. Thanks Amanda, appreciate your comment.
Though I appreciate the convenience of technology in so many ways, I miss the “face time” I remember laughing with my sweet Grandmother and the playfulness we shared. Technology cannot create a true “levity” the way an in-person afternoon can. “Face time” is what memories are made of.
Imagine if we never had those moments in their physical presence. The joy of remembering how my grandmother chuckled at the funny stories she would share from her youth and raising kids. When she would laugh her face lit up and her eyes twinkled; her whole body was invested in that laughter to the point her tummy shook up and down with every giggle. I love that memory of her and if I never got to spend face time for real, I would have missed understanding the wonderful woman she was.
Yes. What we would have missed……….
Mm…thank you for these great thoughts. It is good to be reminded that we all face challenges. Mine right now is finding balance–being with family while living the rest of life. Your post is a reminder that people are what is important.
Very true Brittany, it is a big challenge and the bigger challenge is figuring out why our priorities are in the order we have them. What unseen, unremembered issue motivates us or discourages us from really living our life. Bless you.
Family and relationships are important in life. Epic post or not doesn’t matter. as long as we write from our hearts.
Yes, that’s the real goal. Thanks for your comment!
What I love most about this very epic post is the real was of family. Joy in a sad situation is what family is about, whether blood or not. And I am so in agreement about the texting. I even sometimes don’t answer certain people until they call. Technology has put an invisible wall up without any resistance it seems. But oh do I love caller id! Lol! Thanks for a glimpse into your world! It is indeed epic!
Yes, Felicia. Let’s tear down that wall, one post at a time! LOL I loved waking up to your comment. Be blessed.
what spoke to me most was your mention of what a text message can’t deliver. i’m an avid texter, but i’ve been watching 80s flicks lately and find myself longing for a time before technology was so advanced….when people created vivid memories, as opposed to vivid Instagram photos. thanks for sharing. 🙂
My pleasure Roxy! Glad to know my message came through! Come back anytime.
Oh, there is much that I miss that your post talks about. I miss that large numbers in a family used to gather more often then the occasional holiday. I miss that when those family members gathered, they looked each other in the eye instead of at a hand held device. I miss the story telling and the listening.
Your post is “epic” and it conveyed something very meaningful and beautiful to your audience.
Thank you Elizabeth! Yes, I miss those things too.
I feel much the same as Elizabeth. I grew up over 1000 miles away from my family, but we would try to visit during the summer breaks and sometimes at Christmas. My family talked – a lot. Now that I am married, my husband wants to do big family things and sadly they just aren’t my cup of tea as someone who battles severe depression, anxiety and introvert. When I do feel good enough to go, he does nothing but sit on his phone and scroll through Facebook or text his friends. I’m left wondering why I even bothered to come. While I am happy about technology because it gives me the ability to work from home, I am bothered by some of the modern conveniences and how some take it way too far.
Sad, isn’t it? While we are more connected than ever, there is still a disconnect.
A good example of how life presents challenges and how we deal with them. Articulately written, about how families come together during times of need.
Thanks for your reply, Stephanie. I’m glad to have the family I’m blessed with. 🙂