|
Please Leave Faith, Hope and Love After the Beep
Friday, Jul. 16, 2004 - 9:29 PM
The best friend anyone could ever ask for had a tragedy befall her family. Her dad has been through getting cancer, going through treatment, and as a result of forgetting to tell him all the things he should avoid, lost his jaw due to dental surgery. While all this was happening the way that my friend and her dad bonded was to watch hockey on TV together. Hockey happens to be my favorite sport ever and when it came to her Christmas present this year, there was no doubt that I was going to send her and her dad to the first hockey game they'd ever been to. With the help of an acquaintance who knows someone that works at the Dallas Stars' box office, I scored some very sweet seats at a deliciously discounted price on the day after Christmas. From the game, my friend and her dad called my cell. I don't remember if it didn't ring or if I was wrapped up in the events of the day after Christmas with my family and just couldn't answer, but a voicemail that I'll never forget was left. During the second intermission, they called and thanked me. Though the words were not eloquently orated as from a famous philosopher or historic poet, the sentiment behind the words and the excitement in the tone of voice could have made up for any words that came out of his mouth. The noise and energy in the background of a crowd enjoying a game that would be finished in overtime only set the stage for a performance that came from a beautiful heart full of appreciation -- something a card from Hallmark could never have expressed. That was my favorite Christmas gift last year. And that was one of the best uses of voicemail I've ever seen. I kept that voicemail saved until I switched carriers about a month ago and listened to it every couple weeks. People don't utilize voicemail the way they could. It's an opportunity to leave your mark on someone's life for an indefinite amount of time. "I lub you, daddy." "I miss you. I can't wait to see you." The punchline of an inside joke interwoven into the message. Many times you end up impacting the life of the person on the other side of the phone so much more than you would have had you simply gotten a "Hello?". Sometimes your twenty seconds of voicemail means as much to me as a lifetime of conversation. The fact that you put effort into that is not lost on me. Far from it.
Speak Up
< - Latest - Ex-entries - Pete's
Mom Index - CoffeeOrder - Notes - Email - >
|
