Three Phone Calls...

Last night after nevaeH we all hiked back to Stephen's for some food and socialization time...then out popped Laura with the 1001 Questions book...I must say, I love this book and the conversations that spew from it. I have always thought of it as a great way to get to know people on all different levels...last night though, the questions time opened my eyes to something I have been ignoring for many years....here's how....

Laura's first question to Aaron was "If you were driving on the road and a bear ran out on the road and stopped you and then said you are about to die, you have 3 phone calls to make. One to say I love you, one to say I'm sorry, and the last to say Thank you. Who do you call?" It sounds so simple at first, and then you really start to think about it...and it occured to me that whoever you chose for these three phone calls, why aren't we doing it already. Why aren't we doing it while we have the chance...Why are we deciding to wait until some random bear runs out in front of us to tell these people how we feel...

I had picked out in my head who the three people would be, but the one that stuck out the most was who I would call and tell them "I Love You" I always try to tell everyone in my life that I love them, but then God laid someone on my heart - my uncle.

When my dad's parents had died, there was a huge falling out between my dad and my uncle. It is a long story I don't want to get into now, but my uncle really hurt my dad and my family. (I now know that it was just as Mark Beeson says, hurt people hurt people) That year my sister graduated from high school and sent my uncle an graduation announcement and he sent her a card and a check - (he lives in California and Greece so he is not around here much) - and that was the last we have heard from him. That was in 1996

My sister and I have both tried sending him cards or an email or two over the years, as well as my dad, but all of us had stopped trying years ago. We have all forgiven him and love him - yes even my dad- but he has never responded. We sometimes hear from the grapevine when he has been in town or the ongoings of his life, but that is always from friends of his friends who happen to see him. My dad and my uncle are the only children of my grandparents and he has no children, unless something has changed recently...

I have been fighting an inward battle today over whether or not I should contact him, and I have decided that I need to try again...even if it is just to tell him I love him, I need to do this...I must say though that it isn't hard finding him - he is a professor, and author and a archaelogist so his name and info is not hard to find online. I honestly don't expect him to respond this time either, but with Christmas coming, he needs to know his niece still loves him....

Funny how one random question can spur on so much....thanks Laura....