Lesson at the Drive Thru

I made an observation today while sitting in the drive thru of my most obsessive bad habit. It was that 'transit hour' on Sunday morning when most churches have released their congregations. Ahead of me was a Station Wagon full of well dressed family members. The vehicle caught my attention, as it was not an SUV, or some other popular mini van and that particular wood paneled car is rare these days, so the people inside were subjected to my scrutiny. I expected to see Ma & Pa, baseball caps and pig tails, but what I did see was the entire family, each with their own cel phone, each having their own conversations.

What's wrong with this picture?

Was I wrong to assume they had maybe just left from church? Were they possibly on their way to a feast shared at another family members home? Was sitting in a car with each other, for any length of time, more than any of them could bare? What has happenend to the sacred family time spent together on Sunday's? I was perplexed and reached into my purse to call my husband to tell him of the tragedy that I was looking at.......gotcha!

My hand froze on the cold metal of my cel and my eyes cast down onto the lap of my judgment. I smiled to myself thinking that this would make good fodder for a post...and don't we all go about our days sifting through our mundane rituals, seeking out prophetic tidbits, to enlighten the bloggie realm with?Call me crazy, but I know that only you, who are reading this, can appreciate that thought.

When I was young, car travel, was family conversation time, as well as the dinner table and commercials breaks during TV shows. Talking to ones friends was limited to a phone that was permanently attached to the wall in our kitchen, or during play hours and school times. Cel phones give us 'instant' gratification to pass on what we think is important information. Now, we can all talk to our peers at the same time and on the same dime, so to speak. There need never be another awkward moment of silence that forces people, even families, to find the right subject matter. This saddens me and I hope it is not true of the average family dynamic.

We have 'No Phone' rules while driving with others in our cars. We gab relentlessly at the dinner table and mute commercial times to discuss various topics of interest. I don't have a perfect family, but finding time to converse, is never a problem and we usually feel there is just not enough time.

*Sigh* my day usually ends with me still talking, well after the lights have been turned off, and we have retreated to our prospective sides of the bed and the covers have been properly arranged under our chins. But, as much as I may dominate the conversation, my husband usually has the last word. "Good NIGHT honey!" *another sigh* "goodnight."