The pre-Thanksgiving storm forecast for the eastern seaboard had me imagining the worst.  Our kids normally beat the traffic by leaving at 2:00 a.m. Wednesday morning, driving eight hours straight, and arriving on our doorstep by 10:00 a.m.  As a certified worrier, I pictured fog, multi-car pile-ups and worse. 

But, thanks to Glympse, an app on my smartphone, I was able to see where they were and how fast they were moving at any moment. From the time I woke up until they walked in the door, kids still in their p.j.’s and parents upbeat, I checked on them periodically.  Seeing that arrow moving along the map on my cell phone was all I needed to know that they were safe. 

I couldn’t help but think about how it had been for my mother.  When I was little, my father was a salesman, on the road from Monday to Friday.  My mother used to say that if she opened the front door on Friday night at 5:00 p.m., Dad was probably pulling into our driveway.  If not, she wouldn’t have a clue about where he was.

Things have changed.