Memories of an Online Connection

It was a cold and windy January day when we left New York. The snow had hardened on the ground making the driving quite treacherous.   Most of our belongings were stuffed into the trunk and back seat of our car. The rest of our life's accumulations were on their way to Florida aboard a great big old truck.    We were leaving behind the only life we knew and one of our most precious possessions, our youngest daughter.

Edged in my mind are the images of her lovingly assuring us that she was well, and that she supported and wanted us to have a fresh new start.  I wanted so very much to take her with us, but we had to accept her choice to stay.  She was all grown up.    "I'll find a way to email as soon as we arrive",  I whispered, as I held her close to me trying not to  fall apart.  We drove for hours without any words, each of us drowning in the silence of our thoughts.   Then my husband began to assure me how easy it would be to keep in touch with her now that we had such advanced technology and that in fact, it would be cheaper than long distance calling so I could connect with her everyday as often as she and I wanted to.  He promised to purchase a computer as soon as we were settled.   I looked forward to that small comfort.

 When we arrived we were exhausted but happy to be with someone we love so much. My oldest daughter put her arms around us and we all cried.  They were tears full of mixed emotions.   I'll never forget the smile on her beautiful face as she took us to our room and proudly displayed the purchase she had made for us.  There it was, on top of the glass and chrome table, a spanking new computer.  It was all connected and ready for us to use. All we had to do was get online.      It was the first time I would connect with anyone online.  We dialed and wait for what seemed forever.  After much static and failed attempts, the dial tone changed and we were connected.  Our daughter guided us as we set up our email address.  I was finally ready to send a message.  I typed away, mostly gibberish, but I didn't care,  I just wanted to know that this would work. I hit the send button and like magic my words moved from Florida to New York in matters of minutes.   We waited for the response, and finally the words appeared on the screen.  "Glad you guys are alright.  So am I. Love you" . With that I breathed a sign of relief.  It would be somewhat bearable, this distance, I thought. I knew I could always use the phone, but for me I preferred the written word because of its permanence.  I could view those words as often as I wanted to; and I did.  We were never going to be so far away from each other as long as we stayed connected.

Back then I thought it can never get better than this.  How wrong was I.

writing granny: Childhood

writing granny: Childhood: I miss my childhood, the one I sadly never had. As early as the age of ten, each day after school, I was responsible for cooking, c...