by Emma Rice

Created on: April 19, 2010

Cleaning out a closet one recent Sunday afternoon, I discovered an unmarked, cardboard box. When I opened it, I instantly remembered what the contents were and a warm feeling welled up inside me. The box contained mementos belonging to my grandmother that I had packed together shortly after her death. Forgetting all about the closet, I pushed everything else aside, sat on the floor, and began rummaging through the box. Inside were family photos, birth and marriage certificates, handwritten recipes,

personalized Christmas cards, assorted children’s drawings, and much more. As I looked through the box, my grandmother’s life story unfolded before my very eyes. It was incredible to look at newspaper clippings about my uncle’s high school football days or see the loving, sweet anniversary and Valentine’s Day cards exchanged between her and my grandfather. I was truly holding memories in a box.

 As I reminisced about the past and repacked the box, I was grateful that my grandmother had saved all of these keepsakes. But it made me wonder about whether or not future generations would have such mementos to treasure considering the fast paced world in which we live. As the mother of two children, ages 21 and 19, I witness firsthand how the digital revolution is changing our everyday lives and interaction with others. I am thankful for such technology because even though both of my kids attend college more than eight hours away from home, I can be in constant touch with them. Thanks to hi-tech gadgets, I can discreetly speak with them by text or email delivered to their blackberries, even when they are "chilling with their friends" and would rather not have to suffer the embarrassment of speaking to mom on the phone.

 My kids are part of Generation Y, the name given to those born between approximately 1977 and 1994. This demographic group has grown up with cell phones, the internet, Facebook, and other assorted technologies which have replaced a great deal of face to face human interaction. While the convenience is certainly a plus, there are definite pitfalls to this type of communication. The technology that makes contact instant and effortless also brings with it a kind of casualness that can be somewhat cavalier. It shocks me to find out that relationships are ended and major personal issues are debated by text or email or even by a tweet on Twitter. It seems that rather than speak with someone directly about a serious issue or problem,

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