Next New Beginnings - September 27- 30, 2007 

THE OLD PHONE

Presented by Jim Dubel, D.C.

I love inspirational stories, I enjoy reading them, writing them and sharing them. These stories enable me to be more understanding, receptive and sensitive
as a husband, father and Chiropractor.

Here is another one I would like to share, that will help with life`s journey.

All My Love, Loyalty and Friendship... Jim Dubel

THE OLD PHONE

When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall.  The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it!

Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an  amazing person. Her name was "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone`s number and the correct time.

My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my  mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.

I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving  at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. "Information, please" I said into the mouthpiece just above my head.

A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear. "Information."  "I hurt my finger.." I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.  "Isn`t your mother home?" came the question. "Nobody`s home but me," I blubbered. "Are you bleeding?" the voice asked. "No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts."

"Can you open the icebox?" she asked. I said I could." Then chip off a  little bit of ice and hold it to your finger," said the voice.

After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.

Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called,  Information Please," and told her the sad story. She listened, and then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled I asked her, "Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?"

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, "Jimmy, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better.

Another day I was on the telephone, "Information Please " "Information," said in the now familiar voice. "How do I spell fix?" I asked.

All this took place in a small town in the Mid west. When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to New Jersey. I missed my friend very much. "Information Please" belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me.

Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.

A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Chicago. I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown Operator and said, "Information Please." Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well.

"Information." I hadn`t planned this, but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell fix?" There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer,

"I guess your finger must have healed by now."

I laughed, "So it`s really you," I said. "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time?"

I wonder," she said, "If you know how much your call meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls."

I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister. "Please do", she said. "Just ask for Sally"

Three months later I was back in Chicago. A different voice answered  "Information." I asked for Sally.

"Are you a friend?" she said. "Yes, a very old friend," I answered. "I`m sorry to have to tell you this," she said. "Sally had been working part-time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago." Before I could hang up she said, "Wait a minute, did you say your name was Jimmy?"

"Yes." I answered.

"Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called. Let me read it to you. The note said,

"Tell him there are other worlds to sing in. He`ll know what I mean." I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

Whose life have you touched today? Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Your patients put their faith in your hands, as a doctor of Chiropractic... and look to you to change their lives.... it may not happen when you want it to but the miracle of Chiropractic will and always does work.

May you find the joy and peace you long for in Chiropractic. Life is a journey .. NOT a guided tour. So don`t miss the ride and have a great time going around--you don`t get a second shot at it.

WHEN YOUR HUT`S ON FIRE

Dr. Bob MacEwen

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island.
He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?"

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

The Moral of This Story:

It`s easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn`t lose heart, because God is at work in our lives...even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.

New Beginnings for a New Future
Chiropractic Growth & Philosophy Weekend

When: September 27 - 30, 2007

Where: Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center, Eatontown, New Jersey, for reservations, call the Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center today at 1-732-542-6500 and ask for the special New Beginnings rate - www.sheratoneatontown.com

Learn more: Visit our website at www.newbeginningschiro.com

Register now: Please call us at - 732-747-4646