Who are You Going to Call?
Who are you going to call? Who are you going to call when your favorite appliance in your home decides act inappropriately and flood the house with water? Who are you going to call when your car suddenly craters in the middle of rush hour traffic? When there is a major family crisis, who will you call? Who we choose to call under such circumstances is very revealing.
It was 1992. Randall was three years old. Daniel was 8 months old. Jan had not been feeling well for several days, so she drove herself to a clinic one Saturday morning, while I watched our two little guys at home. A couple of hours later she called me from the emergency room at the local hospital. She calmly informed that the doctor diagnosed her with an acute appendicitis. She also told me in an equally calm voice that she would be undergoing surgery within the hour.
I hung up the phone and had a temporary meltdown. What am I going to do with a three year old, and an 8 month old who is still nursing? More importantly…who am I going to call? I called my close friends, Larry and Nicki Suttle. They were there in a matter of minutes to take charge of the boys. I was able to head to the hospital to be a…well to be a calming presence…As I look back on it, I realize how fortunate I was to have someone to call. Not everyone is that blessed.
Earlier this year I delivered a death notification to a family who had lost a loved one in a very tragic set of circumstances. After completing the initial notification, I followed standard protocol. Who can I call for you? The response: no one. Can I call your neighbors? I don’t know my neighbors. Can I call your minister? We do not belong to a church. Can I call friends in town? I don’t know anyone here. I continued down the list, and still found no one to contact on behalf of this grieving person. Officers from two law enforcement agencies that were also present during the notification that night graciously stayed with me for several hours, as we attempted to comfort a lady who was all alone in a cruel world.
Who are you going to call? When you figure out who you are going to call, stop and give thanks. Give thanks for that person. You are fortunate. And by the way, the people on the receiving end of such calls are equally blessed. People appreciate being asked to serve. Being on call for our friends is important. Friendships are solidified in times of stress and tragedy. I am on call today. What about you? Are you on call too?