My husbands parents will soon be celebrating their 50th anniversary. During a family meeting to discuss plans for their anniversary party we bantered ideas back and forth about what to get them for a gift.

Our first thought was a gift of experience, specifically a trip somewhere or a stay at a bed & breakfast. The idea of an Alaskan cruise came up but that would be a repeat vacation for them plus they don't have passports and don't seem in any way to be inclined to get them. Next we considered a Rocky Mountain Rail Tour which starts in Vancouver and ends in Calgary but then there is the hassle of getting them home. Neither of his parents like flying so we would have to get the round trip train route making the gift about double what our budget is. We finally decided after talking for an hour and getting nowhere to shelve talking or thinking about a gift for a time in the hopes that the ideal "something" would pop up.

We started discussing our relationship with his parents and we all concurred that it was too bad that they weren't Internet connected because it would be so much easier to keep in touch with email. I exclaimed how sad it was that Bruce's mom did not have access to either of our blogs or facebook as a way of knowing what was going on in our lives. I recounted how last fall I had explained to Bruce's mom that I was writing a blog and although she was not at all familiar with the idea she was very interested especially when I explained that it was a great way to keep connected to friends and to share things like writing and poetry. Suddenly Bruce's face lit up and he said he knew what to get his parents for their anniversary! A new Internet able computer and a one year subscription for the Internet.

It's makes perfect sense, at least to us. There is so much of our life that is now related to computers. Like the many grandparents who keep in touch with their children via facebook and email I hope his parents will be ushered in a new type of relationship with their laptop, mp3, Internet-savy granddaughter. Bruce's mom has already taken several computer courses and the world-wide web may still seem a rather scary place for her but I don't think it will be long before she will be comfortable with it. What freedom it will give these two seniors! No longer will they complain that we don't send photos because they'll be able to go to one of our photo storage sites, upload and print any picture of their granddaughter that they want to stick up on their fridge. We'll be able to share poetry and maybe I'll be able to help "Momma" set up her own poetry blog to showcase some of the wonderful things she's written.

The anniversary party is coming up at the end of the month and we're looking into what we have to do to get their gift in place. It's true, the gift is for them, to give them a better connection to our life and to our world, but I have to say that I'm feeling a little guilty and a little selfish in this choice. This gift is for us too. It will mean that we get to see Bruce's parents in a new light, get to know more about their daily lives and what is important to them. We'll simply be getting "more" of them. I absolutely cannot wait to send Bruce's mom one of those "Get to know Your Friends" emails that ask all of those questions: What are you wearing on your feet right now? What three things did you eat last night? or what is your favorite color? The answers to those questions might be mundane but I'm really looking forward to getting to know another side of the mother and father-in-law whom I so dearly love.

Salynne ©2010