Remembering 2014...Christmas Video Card

Most of the time, when I see the Facebook's "Memories Of The Day" post, rarely do I click on them, partially, because when I see the picture, I remember posting it and why. But this morning, the memory link popped up and I decided to check it out.

It was a video I put together five years ago, a video of pictures and video of our family from 2014. Amazing the changes that can take place in half a decade.

The video is bittersweet, the biggest reason is my dear father-in-law is no longer with us, nor is our beautiful cat, Gracie. We also saw the moment our oldest left on his two-year church mission and the hug he gave his youngest brother.

Yes, it's bittersweet, but I'm glad we have the memories.

I Wonder If My Friend Gets These Notices...If So, He's Getting A Lot Of Them!

I probably get on Facebook more than I should. In many ways, some things would be much simpler if social media didn't exist. The elimination of social media would have its downside--I actually enjoy catching up on news, keeping tabs on friends and family, but there's a price you pay for that information.

I suppose to liven things up, Facebook implements these little snippets, digital tchotchkes, as it were. The one that popped up on my Facebook post today was called Connection Matters. I probably would have just ignored it, but for the Connection that Facebook decided mattered. 

The picture of Jason did it.

If you're involved in live theater along the Wasatch Front, you either know Jason, or you've seen him on stage. He's prolific, and the reason he gets cast in shows again and again is due to several reasons. 1--he's extremely talented. 2--he's reliable. 3--he's a better person than he is talented and reliable. If you're fortunate enough to be in a show with Jason, you know you'll have a life-long friend once the show's over and the final curtain falls.

Like all of us, Jason has his quirks--good ones, to be sure. One of them is his propensity to take selfies, but for Jason, they're "selfies + everyone else." Jason takes pictures with cast mates, crew members, and patrons who come to see the shows. He also takes pictures when he meets you at social events. I've never attended church with the man, but I imagine he's taken more than one selfie on a Sunday morning or afternoon.

What caught my attention with the Facebook post was the message:

 "Scott, over the years, you and Jason found time to get together. We thought you'd like to take a moment to share how he's made a difference in your life."

I didn't bite, but I wondered if I've gotten this message with Jason, how many of his friends got the same message? All I thought about was poor Jason, inundated with Connection Matters requests due to all the photos he's taken and shared on Facebook.

Then again, maybe he didn't get those messages so it wouldn't really matter. Anyway, just a thought...

Pics Of The Day...March 8 2011 - 2019

 (3/8/11)

As I occasionally do, I checked out Facebook earlier and it showed me a picture I posted exactly eight years ago today. Many times I'll check out the picture and move on, but this morning, I paused. I saw a world covered in white, a view of my street looking south. 

(3/8/12

What was striking to me is that, even though we've had a wet winter, it's been a couple of years since we've had a storm that left more than a foot of snow on the ground.

(3/8/13)

Instead, we've gotten several storms that left a couple of inches and a lot of rain.

(3/8/14)

I went to the Facebook page that shows all the pictures and comments I posted on this day since I joined the social network. 

(3/8/15)

And because I've posted a picture every day since January, 2011, the page had a picture I took on this day from 2011 to today.

(3/8/16)

Eight years, nine pictures.

(3/8/17)

Those nine pictures include two shots of snow, three shots of sunsets, two shots of social events, one writing retreat, and one shot of bicycles on the lawn. March 8th has varied weather, that's for sure.

(3/8/18)

It's fun to look back, remember taking the pictures, having the memories come back. I hope there'll be a collection of my daily pics that I can access in 2027 and remember not only these pictures, but the next nine as well. Time will tell.

(Today, 3/8/19)

The Difference...Six Years Makes

On the weekends, before I get up and have breakfast, I will sometimes pick up my phone and do a little social media checking. You know, to see if the world as we know it has burned to the ground or not. Usually, everything's fine. Because I'm on Facebook and because I've been posting at least one picture a day since February, 2011, I will get a notification from Facebook for me to re-live what happened on a particular day in years past.

Today I was reminded of a shot I took and posted back on June 10, 2012.

It was a picture of me and my youngest son. The caption I chose for this particular picture was: 

Same Shirts, (Similar Ties), Same Khakis, No Shoes...

Before we left for church, my son and I stood the same place we stood exactly six years ago. Back then we wore the same shirts, similar ties, same khakis, but no shoes. This year we wore the same shirts, similar ties, same khakis, and shoes. For me, I believe these were the exact pair of pants.

He's our youngest. We don't have a lot of pictures of him, at least not printed. I probably have more pictures of him backed up on my hard drive than the others. We need to get them printed and put them in photo books. There's something about turning pages, looking at those faces smiling back at you that is powerful.

I know many people have gone back and recreated shots years after the fact. I don't do it much, but this morning I saw a picture posted years ago and thought it would be fun to do it again. I wonder where we'll both be in six more years. Time will tell.

Remembering The Past...Thanks To Facebook

Normally, when I see Facebook's reminders of posts past, I check them out, remember the picture or the post, then move on. I mean, they're nice and all, but there's little need to re-post them, at least, for me.

But today's memory reminder made me think.

To be honest, I'm not 100% sure if I told my kids what I told Facebook I said. It could have just been me trying to be silly or clever. But, I could have said to my kids that Santa does not appreciate an unclean house--so much so that he will pass by an unkempt home.

Whether they believed it, that's a whole different story.

It made me think about things I used to say to my kids. Back on December 16, 2010 my oldest child was then fifteen and my youngest was six. The concept (and threats...) concerning Santa affected them differently than they way they think of him now. And I'm betting their concept of me has changed in those years also. I definitely know the way I see them has changed. That's what time does.

Facebook, Twitter, other social media are becoming our journals, our diaries, the methods by which we store our thoughts, memories, desires, joys, and pains. It's also a way of reminding me of they person I was back then. Or at least, the person I wanted everyone to think I was. I wonder if, in seven years, I'll be shown this post. And if so, what will I think about then?

What A Difference Six Years Can Make...

Social media is much maligned these days and for good reason. But there's some things social media does very well, especially Facebook. It's a digital scrapbook. It's a calendar, a place to post congratulatory birthday wishes, anniversary wishes, baby notices.

It's also a place to post photos.

And to remember events in the past.

Today, when I checked Facebook this picture showed up in my "You Have Memories" section and it took me back. It's from a show we did back in 2009 at Rodger's Memorial Theatre. The Show, Evita, the picture, some of the cast.

And I thought about how much has changed in just six short years.

You see, many in this picture have experienced a lot of changes. Three of these people, when the photo was taken, were not married. Now they are, and some even have little ones blessing their lives. I met some amazing people in that show. I've kept in tough with many (through social media...), and with some I've done other shows.

Funny how six years in the future seems so far away, but six years ago sometimes feels like it was like yesterday. Time, as in all things, is relative.

Seven Years Ago...

On this day, seven years ago I posted something on Facebook. Today, I was reminded (thanks Facebook...) about it. I haven't thought about that little item since then, but when I saw it again, it reminded me of why I posted it in the first place.

It got me thinking, a lot has happened in seven years. Seven years ago, my oldest was fourteen, his next oldest sibling was almost eleven, their daughter was nine, and the youngest of our four was five. The reason I thought about my kids was because of the message contained in the little clip I shared.

It's the story of a man and his son and a memory they had years before. If you want to watch it, click: HERE. It's in Greek, but it has English subtitles. It's a really beautiful message, one that means more to me as time flies like the little sparrow. I can identify with both the son and the father.

I wonder if my then five-year old son remembers things we did seven years ago. I wonder if I do. I have the advantage of having a journal entry for every day since 1985 so I can look and see what we did. It's so easy to forget when we're wrapped up in our own lives, we forget those that mean the most. Click on the link--the film's only a couple of minutes long. It just might touch you as it did me.