A Favorite Aunt

This is my Aunt Gladys. She is a wonderful lady who has been deaf since her early years. In spite of her challenges, she raised a family and has a remarkable outlook on life. She and I share a passion for taking pictures, especially at family gatherings. Today we were at a family reunion and there she was with her camera. You might say she's a little behind the times with respect to her camera, a 35 mm film camera. She told me she has two films left and after that she will quit taking photos. She added that there are fewer places to buy film and get them developed. I felt sad as I know how much she enjoys this hobby. Immediately my mind went to trying to fix it for her - where she might find film, etc. She looked at my camera and said (almost with disdain), "I don't want one of those things..." referring to my fancy digital SLR! "And besides, I have an iPad and I can take pictures with that!" I smiled and knew she was right up there in the new modern world of technology. This was my favorite conversation of the day - she's not behind at all!

She is absolutely thrilled that her family has organized themselves with group messages, photos and videos she can view on her iPad. She commented that for the first time in her life she feels as though she is part of the family. She turned 84 this year and is so energized and cheered by this new communication.

As a side note, her deafness resulted in increased acuity with respect to what she sees around her. She is probably a lot more knowing than the rest of us realize!