Google Voice did me wrong this morning.
I was easing into the day with my inbox open, scrolling through messages I’d ignored for a few days. Nothing urgent. It's a Friday morning, after all.
Then I saw it.
An email from Google Voice.
Apparently, my number was about to expire. “Use it or lose it,” basically. I almost laughed. Even my phone number needs attention now. So I clicked the link and logged in, ready to make a quick call just to keep it alive.
The screen loaded.
Right beneath my number, neat and casual, as if it were doing me a favor, Google offered suggestions of people I might want to call.
The first name stopped me. My grandmother.
The second one hit harder. My sister.
For a split second, it felt normal. Like I could just tap their names and hear their voices ring through the speaker. Like nothing had changed. Like time hadn’t moved.
But time has moved. They’re no longer with us.
And there I was, just trying to keep a phone number active, when an algorithm casually handed me a reminder of loss. Two names glowing on a screen, like doors that don’t open anymore.
I didn’t make a call after that. I just sat, realizing how strange it is that technology remembers what life has taken away.
It's one of those moments you wish you could hear someone's voice again.
It reminded me of something someone told me once about the experience and feelings of loss. When you're first in it, everything is deep and wide, like you're in the middle of an ocean alone. In time, the vastness of what you feel reigns in.
It's not as wide anymore.
But then there are Google Voice moments when you realize the pain is just as deep as it's always been.
Hug your people. Tell them you love them. Don't wait for Google Voice to remind you.
Stay blessed...john
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