Page 34 - 2017.May Voices

TELL ME A STORY

Call Your Dad

Cheri Perry, ATMB, AL

The following speech was presented at the 2017 District 7 Spring
Conference on May 6th, and earned the author 2nd Place in the International
Speech contest. It is reprinted here wth the author’s permission.

We are more digitally connected than ever flowed and I listened to my Father put me at
before today. In fact, 9 out of every 10 Americans ease, I realized that he was connecting with me-
has a cell phone and a full 40% of us no longer letting me know that I was way more important
have a land line phone in our homes. If you than his new vehicle and while the Bronco was
look around, it won’t take long to see what we still a wreck- I was definitely on the mend! He
are connected to these days. We can barely have closed out the call with a comment that has stayed
a meal together without answering a phone or with me all these years, “It’s only iron & rubber
checking our text messages. Sweetheart”. I’d love to tell
We rarely meet strangers you that was the last time
today because our noses are in my Father had to say those
our phones and we have even words to me but that would
gone as far as to disregard the not be true. My Father
safety of others so we can stay truly connected with his
connected with social media daughter that day, in a way
and our precious cell phones that affected me deeply.
while we are driving. How about this call: “I did
I am old enough to everything you told me
remember way back before Dad! I came early! I worked
everyone had a cell phone. late! I even memorized
Back then, we were certainly every item on the menu and
not as digitally connected as they FIRED me today Dad!”
we are now but we did seem to As I waited for his words of
have more personal connec- wisdom, the reality of being
tions- perhaps due in part to without a job back when
the fact that our land lines kept us tethered to every penny made the difference, felt like the
the house where our parents could hear every weight of the world was on my shoulders and
word while we were talking on the phone! that’s when he said the words that snapped me
Let’s spend a few minutes thinking back to out of my dark moment. “Sweetheart, maybe
some of the calls we used to make and some of your future is not in food service”. Nothing was
the ways we connected before our ‘weapons of fixed overnight but in that moment, my Father
mass distraction’ (holding the cell phone up) connected with my deeper sense of purpose and
took over. lifted me up to realize that even though it felt as
Maybe you had to make this call: “Dad, I’ve if the world had stopped spinning- life would go
been in an accident”. I was terrified to make that on and I would find my way.
call because I had just wrecked my Father’s brand This call was one of the toughest ones I ever
new full sized Bronco so he surprised me with his had to make—maybe you’ve been there: “Dad,
first question. “Sweetheart, are you OK”? Well I’m so tired. After 7 years, I thought we would
I was OK right then but I was concerned about have things figured out. How do you know when
later that night when he got home! As the tears you’re done Dad? How do you know when it’s

34 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 11 MAY, 2017