Bea Lewis

Q: I moved to Florida after retirement. My kids live in New York. I try to speak to my son and daughter (and grandkids) as much as possible. The problem is this: I call them and get their answering machine and then can wait days until I hear back from them. It is very frustrating – which is turning into anger. I don’t want to hang a guilt trip on them, but I don’t know what to do to keep in contact.

A: Very simple. I need to tell you about a four letter word- T-E-X-T!!!!! Now if you are of the retirement age then texting is probably as foreign to you as having slices of dried mangoes atop a pizza pie! But, dear grandma – get into the 21st century – and learn to text because that is how younger people communicate these days. Don’t know a text from a twitter? Find someone in your community who can teach you – if not go into your nearest Apple or Verizon store and ask for instructions. My granddaughter Sara taught me how to text – and now, even when I don’t hear from her busy mom, I get all the family news from my 14-year-old texter!