Hey everyone -
I gotta tell you… this new world media stuff is creating a lot of busy work. I wake up every day and I'm faced with all sorts of options of what to check first..
work emails? personal emails? my facebook account? friendsofamy facebook account? my twitter account? friendsofamy twitter account? or perhaps myspace if I can still remember the log in password?
or do I blog…or do I read and make comments on the amy grant message boards? do i text amy and nudge her to twitter (she does her own but needs "encouragement" from time to time) or should i be really ambitious and ask her to blog.
and that all happens before the actual work day begins…..
I guess what I am trying to say that although I am a big fan of social networking and think it creates an incredible opportunity to stay connected to friends, family, and things of interests in an ever increasing medium, it also creates a lot of busyness that sometimes can feel a bit overwhelming.
Personally, I have reconnected with high school friends, people I grew up with in California and relatives where time and distance have taken a toll on our connection. Professionally, I have been able to network with a bigger group of people and keep my finger on the pulse of what's hot and what's not. Professionally (and personally) I've been able to put a face to so many of the names that have supported Amy's career through the years and have been able to offer up prayers for those battling illness, unemployment, depression or just struggling with life in general.
It is all good — but it also takes a lot of time — and time is something we can not get back. So my encouragement to all of us is that while I fully support and encourage social networking, I think we also need to put a HIGH value on our face-to-face time with friends, family, spouses, partners, employees, neighbors, dogs, and the person standing in line behind you at the grocery. If you are bold enough to befriend someone on facebook or follow them on twitter, be even more bold in person and say "hi" to a stranger… or tell your parents or children that you love them when they least expect it. Let us not hide behind these new-fangled social networking mediums (as much fun as they are and as much good as they do) and let's not diminish the value of quality time with the people we come into contact with.
Just food for thought at the end of a very busy day. I'm going to turn it all off in 30 minutes and go on an adventure walk with Braden tonight and catch lightening bugs. No cell phones allowed. 
Jen
