May 13, 2019 – Lovely day – Mother’s Day weather wise

         My brother called late in the day and told me about his day. It is an understatement when I say it is difficult for him losing his wife of 40 something years in March. I sometimes don’t know what to say.

         He mentioned something he did – no he corrected himself half way through the beginning of telling me and worded it as that he should make a suggestion that I send out in one of my blog’s.  A suggestion everyone should do – before it is too late.

         I listened.  He said,

         “I dialed Peggy’s cell phone . . . just to hear her voice.”

         Part of me was surprised that he still had her phone active – I have no clue how these phone plans work – but I also know how my phone will go dead if I don’t keep it charged.

         “You should have Russ record a message before it is too late,” was his suggestion.  Since we, my husband and I have been sick since Tuesday with the Spring flu – I am certain it was not a cold – we are snarling at each other both sniffling, coughing, aching, and feeling miserable – together in sickness!  I couldn’t help but jest with my brother.

         “Yeah, like when I want to take a nice picture and he makes an awful face – I can imagine what sort of message I’d get when I’d ask for a message to remember him by just in case he goes off to the grocery store and doesn’t happen to return with us both sick with the flu.”

         I shouldn’t have rebuffed him so cruelly . . . what was I thinking?  I wasn’t – I was hardly breathing due to a sinus, killer head ache and coughing.  I did back down a bit and admitted I still had a message from Mom. I’d not admitted that to anyone – until that moment.

More about my old phone:

           I was talked into a blackberry when they were the “thing” for business and mine didn’t do what it was supposed to do.  Over the years and after two more transitions to other type phones - I don’t remember brands or types but, I opted for huge numbers on a flip phone because I was aggravated.

         I only needed to make a call when I needed to make a call and went the cheap route that was simplistic.

         I had the flip phone for many of years before it died and during that time, I kept one telephone message from my Mom.

         The message is 10 seconds long, she is calling and asking me to call her, and then she says, “It’s Mom . . . Mom St. John.”  What a curious thing for her to say . . . I never had a mother-in-law.  But, then, I guessed it was that she left that clarification of  “Mom St. John” as she would often leave messages for my sister-in-law Carol as her Mom was alive and well.

         I retired from business a few years ago, and kept the last business phone I owned.  Once in a while, I needed to hear a loving voice [during difficult or stressful times] and I’d dial my saved Mom-message and then I knew all was right with the world.  That message was the two o’clock in the morning – can’t sleep type fix-it that would help me sleep once I’d listened to it.

         Then, when my flip phone died, my heart sank because my Mom had died and I’d never get another phone message from her.

         All I can say is – it was a miracle - I was more than shocked that my new, smartphone replacement, was brought on line and surprisingly – all prior phone numbers and a couple of undeleted phone messages had made the transfer.  I hadn’t sent anything off to a cloud or anything.  I hadn’t signed up for any special “backup” plan.  I was mystified.

         Opening my new phone to the voicemail section, I listened to two current messages and deleted them, and then I held my breath when I pressed the button to listen to the last one – her familiar telephone number in the screen – August 15, 2015.

         “Hi, it’s Mom . . . give me a ring . . . it’s Mom St. John.”

         It is as clear and as cheerful as the day she recorded it.  I haven’t worn it out yet – that is a good thing.