Sunday, June 17, 2012

Skype allows folks the ability to be up-close-and-personal with one another.  Nothing drove this message home more securely than speaking with a friend over the past two days.  This friend is originally from Holland, their whole family still located there. 

My friend got a call two days ago that their mother had been diagnosed with bladder cancer.  Add to that how my friend’s father was already on the last legs of his battle with emphysema.  Enter Skype….

My friend was able to work though their emotions by connecting with family members via the wonders of Skype.  Siblings were able to work out details.  Parents and kids were able to connect and come to terms with the bum hand they’d been dealt.

 

Hearing my friend talk and being able to see the relief on their face when they shared how Skype had made this tough ordeal more manageable, made me more appreciative of the benefits of being able to Skype.  Then came today….

My friends and I met up this morning, one of which is the individual from Holland.  They were a bit arriving, which is unusual for this person.  The moment I saw my friend’s face, I knew something was wrong…yet…not as much so as it could’ve been.  My friend explained how they had been on Skype with family members since 5:30 this morning.  Why?  To talk with their father.  What a wonderful treat, I thought. 

A short time later, as we all drove in the car, my friend’s phone rang.  The rest of us, sensing the gravity of the call, fell silent as my friend answered the phone.  We tried not to listen, but hard to pull that off while contained in the same small vehicle.  When my friend hung up, they explained how that the call was to inform them that their father had just been removed from life support….

Ah, geez!  And on Father’s Day….

Though my friend was understandably upset, there was also a level of contentment as they expressed how grateful they’d been for the opportunity earlier to talk, via Skype, with their father.  How their father hadn’t been coherent enough to speak over the past few days.  But today the two had been able to share their last thoughts, express their love for one another and connect in a way that only Skype allowed. 

For the second time in two days, I was beyond impressed with the many benefits Skype could provide.  For the peace of mind it offered my friend.  For the opportunity a family had to “gather” with one another and connect “up-close-and-personal” to say their final goodbyes.