I am in the process of writing a book and so are you even if you are not aware that you are.  Did you know that you can turn your Facebook Timeline into a a book, complete with the comments added?

Periodically, I do a lot of posting.   Sometimes I feel a little awkward about doing so, knowing there will always be opinions on all sides about this, and then as a result, I find myself apologizing for taking up so much cyber space.  I haven’t always posted the way I do these days.  But then I read somewhere that I could turn my timeline into book form and I got inspired.

Facebook is one of those love-hate things we all deal with in life.  You know, you can’t live with it and you can’t live without it if you are like me and hate to miss out on things.  We all know that Facebook isn’t a fair representation of reality because it is mostly a pretty picture of the better part of our lives.  We all like to share the good stuff…..not so much the bad.  No one would really be interested in the complaints anyway, right? But, we all know the darker side exists and most of us like to cheer each other on in life’s blessings anyway, don’t you agree? We all recognize that everyone needs that cheerful support, because in the end, we all have issues to resolve, and difficulties to get through.  If you are alive, you are gonna have it all…the good, the bad, and the ugly!  It is just the way it is. Pure. and. Simple!

In my case, I know that we live a very different life from so many of our friends.  Life’s circumstances have brought to us a much different way of celebrating family.  For one thing, our only two Grandchildren live as far north as we are south.  This geographical gap gets in the way of us interacting with them as often as we would like.  I can see on Facebook the joy and pride that so many Grandparents feel as they spend multitudes of hours bonding with their children and grandchildren, and I have to admit, I often feel envy for their easy access to their offspring.

We do the best we can given the circumstances, and Facebook is part of how we cope. This medium makes it possible for us to share things as we go along, not only with our friends, but also, and maybe especially, with our family.  Lives have changed dramatically in this most recent generation, and one additional thing to adjust to is that families are often living far apart from one another and are constantly on the go.  Fortunately, technology allows for us to be connected in the virtual sense, if not in the first person.

We see our role in our family as similar to that of a hub of a wheel where all the spokes represent different family members and we are center. I do not mean to imply that we are center of their universe, because we know we are not, but are instead, the connecting center from which to draw information about each other.  Hence, if we share the happenings of our life through pictures and words, then everyone feels a part of the process.  This trip is a good example. Facebook allows our other children to feel included with Chris’s family, even though they are not here,  just by checking out the photos and hearing how things are going.

When I heard that our Facebook Timelines could be captured and put into book form, I saw it as an opportunity to log a life in progress which depicts dates and times and photos and friends interactions as well.  I have always had such an interest in my parents and Grandparents lives because I was right there living it with them.  I have photographs but no journaling, so I have to rely on my memory. Our collective family is not always able to make memories together, so the best way would be to share the experience virtually, or read it in a journal, whatever way that journal presents itself.

I thought that maybe someday, in the (hopefully) far off future when we are long gone, and at a time when they might have a moment or two to reflect on their family of origin, this book may be a fun thing to peruse.  I recognize it may end up being used as fuel for a nice warm fire on a cold day and that would be o.k. too,   Irregardless, I would rather err on the side of making something they don’t want, rather than to not make something they wish they had.  I’ll never know either way anyway.

It is a piece of history.  Not earth shaking history, not history book history, but history none the less.  I secretly hope that someday my Granddaughters will remember our times together and will want to know more.  Timelines will give them a peek into our life and allow for them to have a sense of who we were and how we viewed life.

So, dear friends, when you find yourself wading through my pictures, commentaries, travels and events, please forgive me for allowing myself so much latitude.  I am doing this for the sake of my family whether they tap into it or not.  I am very concious about what I post, and I really do have a higher purpose.  If, in the interval, you find yourself amused or interested or immersed, you are more than welcome to be my guest.

Now, it is definitely time for bed so I must sign off.  Thanks for your patience with this old bird.  It is gratefullly acknowledged and received with love!

  
Juanita