The Call

Tonight I got the call.

The "we're OK and we're coming home" call.

Every year, my husband, son, dad, and two brothers go on a fishing trip. About 18 hours after departure, they get out of communication range. So we can't talk for 7 days, until they are en route home.

These days, we're so used to being able to communicate anywhere, anytime. My husband and I typically check in with each other several times a day, even if it's just a quick e-mail note or voice mail message. So to go seven days without communicating makes me feel so disconnected.

Though actually, I believe it gives each of us the opportunity to reconnect with ourselves.

But I wonder how they are. Out in the wilderness, anything can happen. They're a careful, observant, skilled group of men. Still, they're cohabiting with wild animals.

In the meantime, I'm left wondering if all the men I love are safe.

I breathe a sigh of relief and I smile. They're OK. They're coming home.