The warmth of family, of belonging, of having a home base is the first casualty when members travel to distant shores to pursue and practice their chosen careers.

In the excitement of it all, its a shame to lose contact with the folks, with their stories, with relations; these are the threads of ones life that if not shared, cannot ever be reclaimed.

And the sense of loss to the folks is something we cannot appreciate while we are young - only when we ourselves are old and our children leave us, on their own quests, will we feel the pain.

Keeping relationships warm, alive, relevant, is precious because it is one's personal story. And it can be done in spite of distance, because technology allows it. Instant messaging, voice, even video, are possible at exceptional quality. The cost is so low these days, and is it really a factor considering the benefits.

The only temporary hindrance is the technology gap. And children now have a perfect opportunity to give their parents a unique gift, to bring them into a whole new world of technology.

We, at Gran and Gramps Online, have the time, the patience, the experience and the skills to literally upgrade your folks to the new world of Skype, MSN, email and the Internet browser. We have done this successfully for many older parents and we are sure we can do it for yours. They will enjoy anytime chats with their children and grandchildren, from the safety of their home.