Every time the phone rings it seems I am as far away as humanly possible to finding it. For those of you who don't know me, I am a klutz. I've broken the same foot several times simply from walking; missing a step; or a poor attempt to run. When your husband/significant other or family member is deployed getting a phone call is not an every day occurrence. Answering that phone becomes our MISSION. Now I know this mission is no where as complex or dangerous as the missions facing our loved ones. But when you hear that first ring, it sure feels like it. I go through the same exercise every time. I stop in my tracks and immediately notify anyone within a five-mile radius (at least that's how loud it seems my voice is) by screaming "GRAB THE PHONE" as loud as I can. As the Household 6 Commander my kids know that means stop doing whatever you are doing and sprint to find the phone. And for the next three rings, there is no mission more important in our house than to find that phone. So here is the dilemma...we have three house telephones and for some reason not a single phone can ever be found on a charger...they mysteriously appear once a week after our teenage daughter cleans her room. And then there is my cell phone. I try very hard to keep my phone in the same spot in my purse but for some reason when we are on a mission to find it my phone takes on a life of its own hiding deep into the black hole of my purse.
My husband called last night and I was lucky enough to have my cell phone in my hand. When I answered it and heard his voice I instantly started crying. He had about three-seconds (and I am not exaggerating) to talk.... but that three seconds of hearing his voice made everything better.
I catch myself several times a day looking at all of the phone chargers to make sure the phones are not hidden deep beneath my daughter's dirty laundry so that at any moment when we are called to our mission - "Operation Answer the Phone" we won't miss those three-second phone calls.
I am reminded though how lucky we are to maintain contact with our loved ones as they are far away. When my dad was serving in Vietnam they did not have the technology we do today. You could go weeks and months without word. If we don't hear from our loved one in a few days we tend to fret and unfortunately, our imaginations get the best of us. We have to remember our loved ones are always thinking about us and missing us just as much as we miss them.
Household 6
I am so glad you got to talk to him, even if it was just 3 seconds.
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