The Call

Yesterday a friend sent me a link to a music video that brought Kevin and me close to tears. It’s good to be reminded that something as simple as sending an e-mail, a text, or picking up the phone can make such a difference in someone’s life. I can think of many instances when it has changed my whole outlook to hear from a loved one.
     “The Call” by Matt Kennon made me think of a time when I was really grateful to receive a call. A few years ago, I was between jobs, without a car, and was home feeling rather depressed one day when my dad called. He called me because he didn’t want to bother someone who was at work. I could tell he was out of breath. He asked me to take him to the doctor the next day, that he wasn’t feeling well, and he was going to try and get some sleep.
     I said I would take him, but I could hear that he really wasn’t doing well. He kept trying to tell me waiting until the next day would be fine. I knew he wouldn’t call 911, and I had no vehicle, so I made a couple phone calls while keeping him on the line talking to me.
     I asked Kevin to leave work immediately and go to my dad’s apartment, since he was the closest, then I called my mom and asked her to swing by and get me on the way to Dad’s. We got my dad to the nearest hospital, and they soon discovered he had a collapsed lung and needed emergency surgery. I was amazed later on when my dad said the doctor told him I’d saved his life; if he’d gone to sleep like he’d wanted to, he wouldn’t have woken up.
     Last July, my dad called just minutes after Kevin and I had arrived home from spending the evening with him. I let it go to the answering machine, but I sat next to it and listened, just to make sure everything was okay. He thanked us for the time we’d spent with him and how we’d made his birthday really special. He told us both he loved us. That’s one call I’m grateful I didn’t answer. I still have the message saved on our answering machine so I can hear my dad’s voice sometimes, reminding me that he loves us and has felt loved by us.
     Is there anyone who you know who would love to hear your voice? Go ahead and give the person a call.