A decade

I have been going through several issues of Family Fun magazine recently. I've torn out some ideas for crafts/snacks/activities that I think my Lambs would enjoy or possibly enjoy in the future and pitched the rest. The next project will be to organize those pages I kept. I started subscribing shortly after I began teaching so I have issues from 1997 to the present. I'm not even close to finishing this task with so many issues and doing this in my spare time. But I'm glad I've waited until now because I know that I don't need princess ideas, nor do I need ideas for babies or preschoolers.
My issues weren't organized by date-just all the Family Fun in a box together. I noticed  the ideas in the magazine and advertisements from the issues around 2005. This is in Lamb 1's lifetime and almost in Lamb 2's lifetime so it's not really that long ago. But it isn't worth keeping any of the technology ideas suggested as they are so outdated. Technology is more than which computer or TV you have. Back in 2005 I didn't use the internet for nearly as many every day tasks as I do now. Basically my every day life is different now than it was in 2005 because of technology and I don't even do Facebook! Advertisements for cars/minivans/SUVs look outdated too-some of the really special features advertised are standard on cars now.
Ram will celebrate his 10th anniversary as a pastor at the end of this month. I think what our life was like 10 years ago-I still taught in a classroom, for some time we just owned one car, we hadn't had any children, our internet was dial up AOL, we had a new VCR and a new TV that is now ancient, we had an ancient slow computer (we even considered it ancient then), we did not own a digital camera, and we hadn't lived in MN nor moved to his second Call. We cooked so different back then too-we weren't worried about HFCS or even attempting to cut back on sugar or eat more fruits and veggies.
A decade is what makes the Amanda Berry story so amazing. I'm not going to discuss the bad parts of the case. But I'm just shocked at how they could miss normal life for the last 10 years-especially being with their families, but also what they missed out in cultural literacy and technology during the last 10 years. We praise God they were found alive while we keep them in our prayers because we know they have a long road to recovery after this.