The Kindness of a Call

"Funny thing how when you reach out, people tend to reach right back.  Best, then, to make sure your hand is open and not fisted."
~ Richelle E. Goodrich

Earlier today, I texted an old friend to wish her college-age daughter a Happy Birthday.  Although we have been friends since our early teens, our children are very different ages (she is now an empty nester), so we don't see each other as often as we would like.  We went back and forth texting a few times and then she called me.  What a pleasant surprise!  We spoke for more than half an hour and caught up on each other's families and shared stories about our child-rearing experiences.  Texting is a great thing -- it is less disruptive than a call and works when a call might not.  But all too often, we rely on it as a means of communication when it might make more sense to recall that old AT&T slogan, "Reach out and touch someone."  It is truly a nice thing when someone does.