Extraordinary Life...I don't think so

We live in extraordinary times. But I'm not sure the extent of change can be appreciated unless one has experienced the impact.

In my childhood, when there was a death in the family, someone had to go the rounds to inform the family of the death and particulars of burial.There were no phones or cars. Mail was delivered the same day but writing a letter and mailing would not be the same as carrying the word and sharing news of the loss.

When my father's younger sister died in childbirth. It wasn't expected. I was eight years old. I don't remember the face or name of the person who came.Only the terrible news she brought.

Mary was beautiful, intelligent and talented. She was expecting her first child. Her parents didn't even know she was in labour until her husband brought the news on the morning that she and the baby had died.

The parish was the community. For the most part, families lived close. They were each other's friends and supports.

It must have been that constant relationship that kept them grounded in the present. It was all encompassing.The past had little relevance.

In my mother' s last years, much of our conversation was about her memories. She was frustrated. I was asking questions and she wanted to know the answers but had never thought to ask them and didn't understand why.

Now, someone living in England , four thousand miles away, finds a reference in a Canadian Blog to a place in Scotland that hasn't existed for at least fifty years, makes contact, discovers and provides a clue to a lost great grand-parent and finds a distant relative in a matter of minutes through the wonders of the world wide web.

Now...that's extraordinary.

At a time when the national media are less able than ever to provide current news of community affairs, individuals have at hand the means to keep each other informed independently.

Of course, there are those who are not enamoured of the notion. It's more convenient for some to work in shrouds of "now you see it, now you don't"

That's not extraordinary. It's not even unusual.

The first printing press was broken up by people whose interests were threatened. (I have no memory of that event.I learned about it in the classroom).

But it didn't stop the printed word nor halt the amazing progress it made on ordinary people's lives.

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