It is truly amazing when I think of how telephones have changed in my life time. I am of the rotary phone generation.
My earliest memory of a telephone is this number. When we moved into the house I consider my childhood home at 5, we had a wall mount in the kitchen and two more of these sleek black numbers in our ranch style home. In a "L" shape it was a long way from the back door in the kitchen to Momma & Daddy's room at the other end of the L. I am certain it was a mark of affluence to have 3 homes at the time. All rang every time someone called. My friends who lived out of town were on "party lines". I am not certain exactly how that worked, but different houses had different rings (2 long, 1 short & 1 long, etc). The phone rang in every home, but you knew from the ring who was being called. There were those who were guilty of picking up and listening in to other's conversations. It took a steady release of the cut off button to be undetected, but there were those who were adapt at it. I believe these were the original nosy neighbors.
My next memory is of the "phone envy" I had over friends who not only had a telephone in their room (on their Momma's line), BUT also had the much desired "Princess Phone". Who didn't want a Princess? Any call out of your area (which was your town) carried a long distance charge, and heaven help you if you called anyone long distance. Money was not being printed by the government at today's rate and funds were tight.
Moving forward---we have a growing family---and my spouse needed a "Bag Phone" for the car in case of a work emergency (do they have those in banking?". This cumbersome phone in a bag was plugged in to the cigarette lighter (another thing long gone ) for power. I seem to remember it had a short antenna and I don't know for a fact since the bank paid for it, but I bet the "trunk" charges were not cheap!
Fast forward to today's technology of the cell phone. I have not had a "land line" for a LONG time, but only use my cell phone. The innovations of the cell has been amazing. Now we are connected to the WWW and can get more information at our fingertips than imaginable. I have a mini phone---it fits nicely in my hand and pocket---and it is amazing all I do on this phone--including posting my blog (after it has been written) to Facebook and checking and answering the comments.
Alexander Graham Bell would be amazed if he were around today. BUT the bottom line is the same--the telephone is used to communicate with others. Thought physically it has changed over the years---the basic premise and use are the same.
If you think about prayer, it is a great deal like this. Prayer is used to communicate with God. Prayer comes in all forms---and some might say it has changed with the generations in form. The basic tenant the tool used to communicate with God has not changed. It is exactly like God's character---unchangeable. No matter what spin we put on it or what form we use, it is still used to communicate with God. So many things in our world point to God--remind us of who God is--this is just one of many. So thankful He hears my prayers--no matter the form--He is listening.
"For I the Lord do not change;"
Malachi 3:6
So very thankful that when I call on God, He never hangs up! What a good, loving and patient Father we have! I remember those princess phones, too, and always wanted one, or so I thought. Growing up, we had ONE phone like the rotary model in the picture above.
ReplyDeleteHave a great day, Lulu!