Monday, November 19, 2007

Thanksgiving #3

I am thankful for the telephone. It has enabled me to reach out and share some of life’s great moments when I couldn’t be there in person. I remember many calls that were important in my life story.

“Mom.” It is 5 am and my first-born is calling from Tennessee. She is about to give birth to her first-born. “My water just broke and we’re getting ready to go to the hospital.” I sit up, wide awake, and ask her if she is OK. “Oh, Mom, I’m so scared.” We both start crying. I feel a thousand miles away. I am a thousand miles away. Later that day there is another call. My son-in-law says, “Something is wrong. Start praying. We’re going to do a C- section”. I pray. An hour later the call comes again. “It’s a girl. Everyone is fine. Oh, Sue, she is beautiful.”

The phone rings at 3am and I hear my brother’s voice, “It’s over, Sue. Mom died about ten minutes ago.” She was 97 and had been sick for years. She was my mom and she was my brothers’ mom. We need to hear each other’s voices.

“Gramma!” I hear my granddaughter on the phone. “I got accepted. I’m going to college. Isn’t that wonderful!” I laugh and share her moment of joy. It is so good that she could call and I could hear her excitement.

There have been so many calls. We share joy. We share sorrow. We talk about hard decisions and listen to each other’s ideas. We share life.

The telephone has been a lifeline for which I am very grateful.

What phone calls have been important in your life?

5 comments:

Mom said...

John, You do have a nice mom & dad. Send them my love.

AM Kingsfield said...

My dear friend Julie & I sang a funny song about calling each other on the phone. I wonder if we could remember it?

I was happy to get a phone call from my friend Peggy saying she got a house today!

rosemary said...

All of the calls I get from my children and grandchildren....then, after my mom passed away I had that "If I had just one more hour to talk to you, mom..." feeling. I played all of my old phone message tapes just so I could hear her voice one more time....never found one message from her.

Sling said...

I got a call 5 years ago.
The young man asked me,"Are you my dad?"..Turns out,I was.
During my 3 years in corrections,I lost touch with my oldest son.
It happens.
That call came on Father's Day,and I haven't lost touch since.

Mom said...

Rosemary,
The voices of our kids and grandkids is always a day brightener.
Sling,
Wow! What a wonderful Father's Day call.