Momma and Alexander Graham Bell
Communication makes family life even more relevant through the ages since the time of Alexander Graham Bell. I often think of the pain that happens when our ancestors were separated, and then only through the Pony Express and written word came that communication connection. Or perhaps the letter was carried by a ship across the ocean in 1800’s and earlier. No matter the telegraph or words on paper, there is nothing like hearing a loved one’s voice.
Through the eyes of Grandmother Suderman in a note to her daughter, Anna Daisy – on her 55th birthday (1962), I learned how relevant is communication and the need to share good news!
My dear daughter (Anna Daisy), 55 years ago we celebrated, it was a hot day, the telephone was off, because it was a holiday. But you came early that morning, arriving at 8 a.m. Daddy stayed at home that day, did not go out to work. That evening when the telephone came on he called those that should know about it. John Litke worked for us that harvest and the wheat was finished the afternoon of the 3rd. John was the one to go get Mrs. Eitzen, Papa got Grandma Suderman and we had 2 little girls. I’ve always been glad for you both. (Would have been so nice to have the two boys) But God’s will was different. He’s made it alright. Thanks for the visit, and you know I did not think of your birthday when you were here. Nice warm weather today. Have a good time and keep well.
Love from Momma (Anna Loewen Suderman)
It was the following day, July 5th, in 1907 that the phone was used to announce to the neighbors on the party line that indeed a new baby was born.
Every time Anna Daisy toddled through the living room she spied the telephone on the wall. An inviting object. Momma and Papa would talk to it as often as they talked to her. What could it be?
Anna looked at the black circular speaker that jutted out from the front of box. On the left side, a receiver was hanging. On the right side the small crank was ready for the caller to turn to make a series of long and short rings. If the party they called had the number 23, it simply meant two long rings and three short. Anna often studied the object. It would be fun to turn the crank, put the receiver up to her ear, just like Papa.
One day Anna Daisy, her mind as agile as her body, assessed the matter. A red horsehair sofa sat beneath the phone. If she could get climb on the back of the sofa, she could talk into the telephone, just like Momma and Papa. She began her ascent eyeing her goal. Climbing to the top, she grabbed the speaker and lost her balance. She hung on to the phone as it pulled from the wall. Anna and the phone fell with a crash to the floor. The speaker shattered and pieces were embedded underneath Anna’s left eye.
Momma found Anna crying with the telephone box lying partially on her. She scooped her daughter into her arms and held her until the sobs subsided. She carefully cleaned the particles of the phone from Anna’s face. Momma cringed as she could see how close to losing an eye Anna had come.
Momma could not clean all the particles from under Anna’s eyes, and Anna Daisy carried the reminder of her curiosity, bits of black like eye shadow, until her dying day.
The telephone was used to announce my birth to family in Oklahoma and Kansas. The phone heralded good news and bad news. It became a way of life. I remember, in high school, that our phone number consisted of 3 digits – 205. Life was a slower pace then, with no cell phones and blackberries belonged on cereal, not in the pocket. It was a race to see if the phone was used more for bad news than good news.
Mother (Anna Daisy) compared my telephone conversations with my brother Jim’s conversations. Mine were filled with emotions, the ups and downs of my life of the moment. Jim’s were always 1 – 2 – 3 and a quick goodbye. I remember a tearful conversation with Mom after three weeks of college. I had never known that homesickness could hurt so deep inside. My wise Mother said, you can come home after six weeks, but not sooner. Tough love, gentle patience, conversations laced with wisdom were dispensed on the phone to Mother’s family.
Once the phone rang late at night. Dad (Herman Bennie Siemens) said his familiar, “Hallow,” into the phone. The caller asked, “Is this Herman Siemens?” Dad, half asleep answered, “Yes, it is.” He promptly hung up the phone. He didn’t remember the call the next morning.
We become frustrated when our mode of communication is cut off, whether it be cell phone, emails, facebook, myspace or twitter. We want the connection to stay unbroken so that our words and ideas can flow through unimpeded. We are frustrated by an unanswered communication when we attempt to make a connection – no matter what type of spoken or unspoken word we send.
There is a six letter word that is more important in communication than any other…..PRAYER.
Our Father in Heaven waits continually to hear from His children. He wants to hear from us in our ups and downs, our belief and unbelief and in our strength or in our weakness. His love is never-wavering, His faithfulness is constant. There are no interruptions of ‘service’. There is no down time. We can turn to Him in all things, knowing that His deep love is steadfast.
Philippians 4-7 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.