Posting Pictures

I used to do it for Mom. I would post pictures on Facebook regularly because I knew she would want to see them. There was a time, not so long ago, when Mom would turn on her computer, play a game or two of Solitaire, and check Facebook to see what her 28 Facebook friends were up to. Mom was on Facebook for one reason only: to keep tabs on her family and a few very close friends.

Mom with her greats, just a year ago.
 Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children. Proverbs 17:6

So, I posted pictures I knew she would appreciate: photos of wildflowers and western Nebraska landscapes, and especially, pictures of her grandkids and their kids, her greats. Then Mom would dutifully print the photos, often full-sized on a single sheet of plain old computer paper so she could make out the details. She showed the photos to Dad, who never learned how to use a computer because he thought it would consume too much of his time and, besides, he considered it to be Mom's domain because it gave her something she could do, even as her eyesight was failing.

An unexpected sunflower for Mom

It's been at least two years since Mom could see well enough to use her computer.  And now, Mom and Dad are both in Heaven. So why do I continue to post so many pictures on Facebook?

It seems that I've built up a following of sorts. People who used to keep track of Mom on Facebook--her in-laws and cousins and friends-- now want to keep track of her children and grandchildren. But more than that, my own siblings and aunts and cousins and friends, old and new, have gotten used to seeing those same photos of the wildflowers that Mom loved, and the unique western Nebraska landscapes that I sometimes take for granted, and the photos of my precious grandchildren. In the often barren wasteland that Facebook seems to have become, meaningful personal photos help us make connections and maintain relationships.

And so, as long as there are people who want to see my pictures, I'll keep on posting them, for Mom, and for all of you, too, because relationships are important.

My pond at dusk







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