Opinion

The telephone call is for you

Friday, September 4, 2015

I have received several emails from friends from former churches where Lester served. That is great. But most of them are for several other people as well as for me, so it isn't quite as special as it could be. But I wouldn't want to miss them for the world.

A letter through the mail is so rare these days that it is very special. But I know many of my long-time friends are too much like me, in that it is hard to write a letter that anyone can read. I always got a C in penmanship in grade school. The teachers didn't like the way I made my capital G's. Since I had to use that often in writing my name they sometimes made me stay in at recess to practice making capital G's. That is why I took typing as soon as it was offered to my grade.

I mentioned that many of my long-time friends were like me. They are like me in that they are not middle age plus any more. But some of my very special friends are not like me in that they are not using email or Facebook. I think I began to put off any correspondence with them because, with my poor handwriting made even worse with age and ailments, I kept putting off getting in touch too long.

But one day recently I received a phone call from one of my younger friends. (She wasn't even 90 yet.) We talked on the phone for about 15 minutes and got caught up on news.

Since she was a minister's widow much of our conversation was about church. Then she started talking about her grandchildren and I was ashamed that I hadn't remembered those children's names. But then, I don't always remember my own grandchildren's names either. It made me think I should call my friends more often and I won't be caught like that again.

As I said, I was going to call my friends more often. Well, I emailed the daughter of one of my friends and asked her for her mother's phone number now that she had moved. The daughter promptly sent me the number which I didn't think to write down. One day I happened to find the email that contained the new telephone number, so I started calling, and calling, and calling. I just got busy signals every time. I thought that she would probably be too tired after that long a call to talk to me, so I put it out of my mind.

Then the mail came and I got a note from my AAUW friends saying they had missed me coming to meetings. I was so pleased with the note that contained a little personal note over each signature, that I decided to try once more to call my friend from a former town where we carpooled our way to work in the next town. This time she answered.

She seemed so delighted to hear from me, and I enjoyed hearing her voice and visiting with her so much that we kept it up for at least 30 minutes. How easy that was. How fulfilling that was. So why haven't I done that more often? I need to call my friends in Butler, my friends in Versailles, my friends in Archie, my friends at Mt. Washington, and by then it will be time to call my friend in Savannah on her 91st birthday and we can start all over again.

Now that I have half-way learned to use my smart phone I could call from any place I decide to make the call. But first, of course, I'll have to enter all their phone numbers in the phone. That will take my daughter-in-law to help me do this as I haven't learned that skill yet.

But soon I will do that. Won't the friends be surprised? I hope they all remember who I am. I hope none of them die before I get this done because it really is something we all will enjoy.