My Mother-In-Law and The Facebook

I kinda figured it was just a matter of time. I mean, you don't have to look too hard to see the writing on the wall.

My mother-in-law.

I love her. I've written before how she loves people. The door at their home stays unlocked and open until they go to bed at night, and everyone knows it. If someone comes in, she hops up and has the coffee on before you can make it to the kitchen. And, if she knows in advance you are coming, she'll have the coffee ready...along with little dishes of Cheetos and Pinwheels (those chocolate covered marshmallow cookies).

I know.

Her house is a complete wreck 99.9% of the time. She knows it. I know it. We all know it.

But you know what? No one seems to mind. 

Because people come to her house by the droves. Oh, there are a couple of her family members who will fuss at her about the state of disarray, but they still come.

People come for HER. To see her and talk to her.

They come in weary. They come in burdened. They come in about to burst from excitement. They come in about to burst into tears. They know she's a good listener. They know she has good advice. They know they can tell her anything. They know she loves without condition.

I don't know if they know: she can't really keep a secret. But, let's just keep that little gem to ourselves. I know it and my kids know it...and so that's good enough.

So, they come. And they sit at the kitchen table, or in the TRUTH CHAIRS BY THE WINDOW, and they pour out their hearts.

Jim's Dad got an iPHONE a couple of years ago. Jim advised against it...said he didn't need it...said he didn't know how to use it and probably would never use all that it had to offer. In the end, Jim said, "you know what? He's OLD...he can afford it...he should have what he wants."

WELL. Jim's Dad has learned how to use his iPHONE quite well, THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. SMARTY-PANTS JIM. He loves the weather app and he loves The Google.

But the biggest thing he did was: he taught himself how to text.

AND OH MY GOODNESS...just like Aladdin and Jasmine on the flying carpet, that has opened up a whole new world.

We get so tickled at his texts. He has really big fingers, which do not do well with those tiny keys, but he tries. And we appreciate the fact that we can text him anytime we want, because it's hard for him to hear us on the phone. I really wish my Dad would try to learn how to text, since he is SO hard-of-hearing. But considering that when I talked to him yesterday, he was saying how great it was to read "all the things on the TWEETER," I'm thinking that learning to text might be a stretch.

Because he means, Facebook.

Jim's Dad also got an iPAD, and he really likes that because it's BIGGER and easier to see. The only problem is that, when he doesn't think it's working fast enough to suit him, he shakes it like an Etch-a-sketch.

For Christmas, Jim got his Mom a little iPAD-Kindle type-of-thing. She wasn't too sure about it, but he set up her password, and showed her the basics. She already had Facebook, but she didn't really know how to work it, but Jim was really patient with her. And now she lovvvvvvvves it. She sits in her TRUTH CHAIRS BY THE WINDOW and does a big, sweeping motion with her fingers, as she scrolls through her newsfeed. It.is.hilarious.

And even tho she said, "I've got Facebook and I go to Kroger on Tuesdays, and that's about all I can handle," Jim set up an IG account for her, and now she goes through allllllttthhhhheeepicturesssss from the beginning of time, and she.is.loving.it.

Also? My mother-in-law has discovered the "like" button.

Now, I wrote here about when Joshua discovered the "like" button. And he is still out.of.control.

But my mother-in-law is giving him a run for the money. Bless.

I get that it's all "new" to her and all, but Good Heavens! "Like, Like, Like."

And the woman who could not stay awake past 8:30 or 9 at night? Well, she's gone. Because Jim and I will be watching the late news with our boys, and one of them will say, "well, MAMMAW is still awake." And we'll look and it will be "like...like...like" on Facebook AND on IG.

Mammaw is B-U-S-Y.

All this to say that, when it comes to Joshua's use of social media, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Or, as we say at our house: "apple...tree."

We are really thankful for how easy social media has made it for them to keep up with their friends and family.

"Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies." Proverbs 31:10