Sunday, May 3, 2009

Reunions


Yesterday I went to a DUP (Daughters of Utah Pioneers) Jubilee celebration (see group photo above that I took) held nearby in Leeds. A very interesting program of songs and skits took place telling the history of their area complete from pioneers to miners. It was so fun to see my friends from the DUP camp I organized 7 years ago in New Harmony. Lots of memories and catching up on life events took place.

It made me think of all the REUNIONS we will have in the next life with family members and friends. I think that's one reason that Facebook and Classmates is so popular-it gives you the opportunity to hook up with old classmates and friends that you have lost contact with. I still keep in touch with my 5th grade girl friend from California although it's just a yearly Christmas card as she's not into computers or the Internet. It's a smaller world nowadays and easier to keep in touch with loved ones online-if they make the effort. Many are too busy or not interested in complicating their lives with computers. Communication is wonderful but there's still no substitute for face to face conversations.

7 comments:

  1. Yes, the computer has changed our whole notion of what it means to keep in touch, to communicate, all of that stuff. Some things are lost - the face-to-face you mention, and perhaps the hand-written note, but I, for one, wouldn't want to go back!

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  2. I still keep in touch with Elaine, my best friend from kingergarten through high school. In the younger years, we phoned one another each school night to see what the other would be wearing the next day; in the high school years, we phoned one another for help with homework (and to talk about boys).

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  3. How fun to see some of these familiar faces...

    It's always great to be able to connect with people fromour past... good to share a memory with those we made it with.

    I agree with Deborah. I don'[t think anything will ever take the place of one on one, face to face. And there is something so wonderful about coming across a card or a handwritten note months after you recieved it. I tuck them into drawers and coat pockets to be discovered sometime in the future. They're always such a joy to find.

    But... I don't think I'd ever want to go back to our pre-computer days. The world of blogging has expanded my circle of friendships beyong anything I could have imagined when I was a young mother... Although I do find myself longing to meet so many of the women who's words have lifted and comforted me... made me giggle, taught me a lesson in living. I'd love to stroll on the beach or sit under the weeping branches of a pungent pepper tree somewhere and just listen to them talk. Wouldn't it be fun to meet as a group in St. Louie and share a corn dog and conversation. I'd furnish the red carnations.

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  4. There's no substitute for the real deal, to be sure. But there's no substitute for virtual contact when it's the best we can do. Your post has me thinking back to the days before the Internet. When we had the Yellow Pages and the say-so of the neighbors. How things change.

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  5. Old fashioned letters, phone calls and face to face contacts are better. But often we need to use our computers to find those people from our past. I just wish everyone was interested in being found. :-)

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  6. People don't write letters anymore..everything is e-mail and I think it loses something that way. Glad you had fun at the reunion that wouldn't have been possible without you organizing the camp. You wear many hats of talent Lin

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  7. I'm a huge advocate of the beautifully crafted, heartfelt note, rather than the quick e-mail thanks.

    It's so much fun to see old friends. As I get older, I think I'm valuing those old friends even more.

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