The Phone Call

There are times in my life, too many, actually, when Kim or I receive an early morning or late-night phone call from family or a friend. Typically, these kinds of phone calls don’t bring good news.

There was one stretch of four such phone calls that began in October 2013 when my sister Judy called to tell me my nephew died in a freak car accident. On April 1^st of 2014, again, my sister Judy called to tell me my mom passed away at the age of 99. Then, the absolute worst phone call came at 12:38 AM on July 13 from the sister of my daughter-in-law letting Kim and me know our son, Wil, was shot and killed in the afternoon of July 12. The last of that four phone call stretch occurred in August 2014, when the son of a dear friend called to tell Kim and me his father had passed away after a fight with cancer. That four phone call stretch was brutal. More than brutal. Like a gauntlet. I honestly don’t remember much of anything that took place in 2014. I don’t even know how I got through the year. 

Lately, I’ve received text messages or phone calls or posts on my messenger app letting me know this friend, family member, former staff member or colleague is not doing well or perhaps, is now deceased. It isn’t easy. It’s never easy. 

Most recently, a dear staff member who had retired received sad news about her husband’s cancer diagnosis. And to compound the feeling of sadness, I received a message and then a call from my niece, whose father has serious health issues. This niece and her two sisters and brother had just lost her mom this past September. My sister. And if that wasn’t enough, my wife received a phone call. Her brother is in the hospital dealing with health issues related to his heart and his back. 

It’s never easy, but such is the way of life, isn’t it? I know many of you reading this are ticking off the various phone calls you’ve received throughout your life, and perhaps, like me, have received recently. As I said, it isn’t easy. It’s never easy. 

I’ve written over and over in this blog about not wasting time, about not using time purposely and impactfully. I’ve urged you repeatedly to let those who are near to you, dear to you- friends or family or both- that you love them, that you value them. For you to reach out and simply say hello, to say I was thinking about you. 

And more importantly, I’ve urged you to let those who are dear to you know you love them, that you care about them, that they are important to you. That would be a much better phone call to receive, don’t you think? And it might make the next phone call less impactful because you took the time beforehand to take care of the necessary and important business of letting him-her know you love them and that you care. Something to think about …

Live Your Life and Make A Difference! 

To My Readers:

If you like what you’re reading and find a benefit from it, you can check out my other posts on my Website at https://www.jrlewisauthor.com under the Inspirational Blog tab. You can find all nine books, their descriptions, and links for purchase at the same site. 

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Later this month, my newest book, Black Yéʼii (The Evil One) goes into publication production. The release is scheduled for January 2025, but it will be available for preorder in a few months and I will have author copies for sale and signing. I’ll keep you posted.

While you wait, you might want to check out my earlier book, Caught in a Web, because Black Yéʼii (The Evil One) is a sequel of sorts. 

At the end of Caught in a Web, an agreement was made between law enforcement and four victims who were the loan survivors in the house that was overrun by MS-13. The agreement was to be a secret kept so that MS-13 wouldn’t seek revenge and come back to do harm to those four survivors. 

But in Black Yéʼii (The Evil One) someone broke the secret, MS-13 comes back, and people die. Can law enforcement find out who is behind the deaths and prevent any of the other survivors from being murdered?

Caught in a Web  

“This important, nail-biting crime thriller about MS-13 sets the bar very high. One of the year’s best thrillers.” –Best Thrillers

“…the right blend of tension and intrigue …” -Midwest Book Review   

 

A PenCraft Literary Award Winner

The bodies of high school and middle school kids are found dead from an overdose of heroin and fentanyl. The drug trade along the I-94 and I-43 corridors and the Milwaukee Metro area is controlled by MS-13, a violent gang originating from El Salvador. Ricardo Fuentes is sent from Chicago to Waukesha to find out who is cutting in on their business, shut it down and teach them a lesson. But he has an ulterior motive: find and kill a fifteen-year-old boy, George Tokay, who had killed his cousin the previous summer.

Detectives Jamie Graff, Pat O’Connor and Paul Eiselmann race to find the source of the drugs, shut down the ring, and find Fuentes before he kills anyone else, especially George or members of his family.

 

https://amzn.to/2GrU51T

 

Photo Courtesy of Jae Park and Unsplash