“Don’t call unless you’re bleeding.”
Those were my mother’s infamous words, used when she and my dad went out for the night and my brothers and I were left home on our own.
In the days before 93% of U.S. adults carried a cell phone, getting a phone call was a big deal.
Once, going out with friends or being alone with your spouse felt sacred. You paid attention to the company you were with, or maybe you got lost in your own thoughts, but you didn’t want to be disturbed. You went out to get away.
Recently David and I invited friends over for Sunday night dinner. I called Jillian earlier in the day, and we set it for 5:30. So when they arrived at 6:50 PM, I applied my mom’s babysitting principle: There’s no excuse for being that late unless someone’s bleeding.
In an unexpected gesture, Jillian walked in with a cake. When I protested, she said, “What kind of guest would I be if I walked in empty-handed?”
Certainly not the kind of guest who cares whether the hostess’s pork chops were burned to a crisp or her once-puffy sweet potato casserole collapsed into a heap of doo-doo-colored mush.
I got over it, and we had a good time. After dinner, we moved to the den, home to the ginormous HD stereo TV. The Grammys were on, and we all settled in to watch. At one point, I noticed four of the seven of us were on our cell phones texting, googling, and I’m not sure what else.
We don’t go out to get away anymore. We include the outside in on a constant basis. I’m not complaining; that’s the way it is. Texting etiquette says – go ahead, text away. Like indoor plumbing— there’s no going back to an outhouse for the nostalgia value.
Because we live in a world of intentional interruption and welcome disturbance, it’s even more important to make time to pray. Fit it into a sound bite if you must, but get away with the One who deserves your full attention.
~Susan Diamond
Gratitude Prayer
Thank You
for helping me to disconnect
if only for a short time.
No television or computer.
No social media or texting.
Rather, fresh air and pungent smells,
Pointed sounds and colorful sights,
Surprising tastes and varied textures.
Genuine, caring people.
Thank You
for replacing those sometimes
wasted electronic moments,
with true connections.
Family and friends,
Love and laughter.
New memories I’ll cherish forever.
Most of all,
Help me to stay connected to You.
Let me not become so consumed,
so distracted by gadgets and remote controls,
that I forget the source
of my strength, my peace, my hope.
Amen
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