I liked this one!

[Jennie@ifish]

The Old Phone

When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in
our
neighborhood. I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall.
The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to
reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my
mother
talked to it.

Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an
amazing person. Her name was "Information Please" and there was
nothing
she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone's number and
the correct time. My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle
came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor.

Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger
with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in
crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.

I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally
arriving
at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool
in
the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked
the
receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. "Information, please" I
said into the
mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two and a small clear voice
spoke into my ear.

"Information."

"I hurt my finger..." I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily
enough now that I had an audience.

"Isn't your mother home?" came the question.

"Nobody's home but me," I blubbered.

"Are you bleeding?" the voice asked.

"No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts."

"Can you open the icebox?" she asked.

I said I could.

"Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger," said
the
voice.

After that, I called "Information Please" for everything.

I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me
where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my
pet
chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat
fruit and nuts.

Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called,
Information Please," and told her the sad story. She listened, and
then
said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled.

I asked her, "Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and
bring
joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the
bottom
of a cage?"

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, "Paul
always
remember that there are other worlds to sing in."

Somehow I felt better.

Another day I was on the telephone, "Information Please."

"Information," said in the now familiar voice.

"How do I spell fix?" I asked.

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest.
When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I
missed my friend very much. "Information Please" belonged in that
old
wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the shiny
new
phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens,
the
memories of those childhood conversations never really left me. Often,
in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of
security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and
kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.

A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down
in Seattle. I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15
minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then
without thinking what I
was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information
Please."

Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well.

"Information."

I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, "Could you please
tell
me how to spell fix?"

There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, "I guess
your finger must have healed by now."

I laughed, "So it's really you," I said. "I wonder if you have any
idea how much you meant to me during that time?"

I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your call meant to me. I
never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls."

I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked
if
I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.

"Please do", she said. "Just ask for Sally."

Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered,
"Information." I asked for Sally.

"Are you a friend?" she said.

"Yes, a very old friend," I answered.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this," she said. "Sally had been
working
part-time the last few years because she was sick. She died five
weeks
ago."

Before I could hang up she said, "Wait a minute, did you say your name
was Paul?"

"Yes." I answered.

"Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you
called. Let me read it to you."

The note said, "Tell him there are other worlds to sing in. He'll
know
what I mean."

I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life
have you touched today?

Why not pass this on? I just did....

Lifting you on eagle's wings. May you find the joy and peace you long
for.

Life is a journey ... NOT a guided tour.


I loved this story and just had to pass it on. I hope you enjoy it
and
get a blessing from it just as I did.

[Miss B Haven]

:depressed: :smile: :depressed: :smile: :depressed: :smile: :blush: I gotta go get a hanky now, bye.

[reeldick]

Thank you, Jen. Nice touch.

Scary, how much the little things we do impacts others.

[maggot]

right on

[Mad Mikey]

That is right up there with boo-hoo wiping snot from my nose trying to be a man and tearing up the keyboard. Don't tell my friends..... :blush:

[Hogmaster]

Wow!

[img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img]

[happybrew]

Will you quit doing that Jennie? Every time you do that, I get something in my eye!

happybrew

[RvW]

Yeah, I fogged up too, but just a little.

I wish life was that simple still.

Thanks for sharing this story.

[Elwix]

Well woven story. Bet you spin a good yarn around a campfire too.

[KingFisher85]

That is a good story

[Spotted Owl]

Really makes you sit back and think of the things that have touched you in the past. Some :grin: some :depressed: and quite a few that fall somewere in the middle. Also makes you want to do better for the people around you. The ones you know personaly as well as the ones that are found from talking to a box on the wall.

Thanks for that post we all sometimes need to be sat back to think of things from the past and how we can have a better impact on the future.

sled

[Empire]

Getting a little misty over here.

[Birdnest]

:depressed: :grin: [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img]

[STGRule]

(sniff) [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img]

[skein]

Oops! Dipseadiver was logged in as Skein. :blush:

[ 06-28-2003, 11:34 AM: Message edited by: skein ]

[DipSeaDiver]

One of the many reasons I love ifish! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]
Good friends, good memories, great stories! [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img]