21st Century Day Connecting

 I wonder if my parents and grandparents ever stopped to think about how their family tree would morph and change over time?  Could they have ever imagined that cousins might stay in touch through cyberspace and I-pads?

Folks in my grandparents times were not alone when they "left their families" overseas to start families with limited, at best, contact with relatives.  In fact, family times was most likely limited to weddings (occasionally), funerals (sometimes) and letters (via snail mail even in those days). 

In my parents era, that ubiquitous Christmas card letter was probably added to the wedding, funeral, and snail mail letter list of gatherings, along with occasional family gatherings made possible by cheap gas and family cars.

While life is no less busy now, the isolation of families over the past year has certainly heightened my own thoughts about gathering with my surviving siblings, cousins, and dear friends in real time.  While there is no substitute for human touch, I am grateful for the "gift" of living in the 21st Century: we can connect in almost real time in spite of distance and contraindications through email, texts, Instagram, Tik Tok, and now old fashioned forums, like this blog. 

So, here is an  "old fashioned" and heartfelt, early 21st Century-type, day-late-birthday wish for my cousin, who also happens to be one of my most loyal non-educational blog post fans!