Over the last few years, I have seen the benefits of technology. One of my new favorite things is FaceTime.
For those of you who are not familiar with it, it's basically a video phone call. Not only do you get to talk to the other person but you get a live feed video. Not only can you hear them, you can see them as well. I have seen how beneficial this can be, especially to the "grandparents".
My three-year-old niece has been FaceTiming with Grandma ever since she got ahold of her Mom's phone. For over a year now, she can both hear and see Grandma at the press of a button.
My sister lives far enough away that making regular trips back home have become a nuisance. The heartbreaking thing is that when she does come down, her kids are not familiar enough with their grandparents to feel comfortable spending time with them. Most of the time, over a few short days was spent "warming up" to them.
FaceTime has changed that. Now, at the touch of a button, Grandma can call any one of her grandkids and be with them, right where they are. Grandma can now see their favorite toys, watch them blow out the candles on their birthday cake or read them a good night story.
I have seen how technology can bring a family closer, especially when you are miles apart. In the last week, I have accidentally stumbled upon a few other ways to utilize FaceTime, the first being the hockey rink. It's where I spend most of my time these days, taking the boys to games and practices. A lot of time at the rink means less time available with friends and family.
Enter FaceTime. Now I get the best of both worlds.
My older sister called me when I was watching my son play his final game and when I answered, I quickly told her I couldn't talk because I was at the rink watching hockey and that I would call her back later. Her suggestion was even better. She asked to use FaceTime so she could watch her nephew while he was on the ice. It was a win-win situation. I got to chat with my sister and she got to be part of a game she just may never actually physically get to see.
So… I got it. FaceTime is great for connecting with family members far away. That's when it happened. I saw a new way, a new face, to this FaceTime.
Have you ever got THE phone call? You know the one. When someone is asking you to look for something and they are trying to explain where to find it, what it looks like and where it could be? Well, I made that phone call to my daughter the other day. From my point of view, knowing exactly what it was I was looking for and where it could be found, this should have been pretty simple.
Well, it wasn't. Apparently we had different versions of left and right, green and blue, etc. I was getting fairly frustrated when the idea popped in my head. I told her to FaceTime me so I could walk her through, step-by-step, where to find what I was looking for. Within 30 seconds, the answer was clear. She found exactly what I wanted her to.
FaceTime had made it much easier for us to communicate.
So, it seems that technology is not simply for the people out there who never had access to it but for regular users to find new and different ways for it to benefit our lives as well.
There are many faces….
