Tipping Points

Mom and Grandad have begun to correspond with new friends in New Mexico and throughout the ARKansas Valley this year about "tipping points."  They even had a face-to-face opportunity yesterday to clue in Grandad's #1 daughter, Cheryl, about how they keep track of time with pictures of ivy grown from a cutting taken with permission from Ivy Green during their first trip to Georgia.

On the way back from Georgia, Mom had been inspired to write to John.  His father, Grandad's brother, is one of their Ruby Friends on Facebook where they share the pictures.  Now we are all engaged in learning how to use the power of Social Synergy about which Mom has been theorizing for so long.  Before Thanksgiving Day 2013 Mom had invited all of us children to a hotel that has been "Family Owned and Operated since the 1980's."

It was about Thanksgiving that Mom began to reveal to Cheryl some of her secret thoughts and feelings.  It was about that time, too, that she argued with Grandad -- sharing her passion for writing and using IT.  Grandad's objections to using Facebook reflected Cheryl's confusion, and general fears in society, about loss of privacy.  Mom began writing letters to our account that have shown up in the public news-feed.

On Thanksgiving Day, Cheryl began to share with Mom her stories for Grandad's autobiography.  Simultaneously, Mom was using IT (text messaging, phone calls and Facebook) to incorporate other family and friends' communications into their conversation.  At one point, Mom documented via Facebook comments a dialogue between Grandad and his brother, John's father, about what is happening to the Roman Catholic Church under the leadership of Pope Francis.

That evening, Mom began reading the book that Grandad had given her back in August.  On Black Friday, Mom challenged Grandad to read IT with her and to take responsibility for his part in the conversation.