Butt Call

Butt Call

Mother’s Day, a beautiful spring day in Montana. The sun is shining in a clear blue sky. Our mountain ranges are still capped with winter snow. Flowers starting to bloom and trees budding. You couldn’t ask for a more perfect day.

At our church, it is a tradition to give each woman a beautiful rose to acknowledge our appreciation. This year was no exception. We had an abundance of white roses and each lady got at least two or three to take home.

At the end of our service, quite by accident, one of the elders made a butt call. He carried his phone in a back pocket and somehow the phone self-dialed 911. Before he realized what happened, he got a call back from emergency services. Although the mistake was explained, a sheriff deputy was sent to the church.

It was quite a scene with people preparing to leave and the sheriff showing up. While explaining the miss dial, the elder asked if she, the deputy, was a mom. The deputy said yes, she had a young child. So, he gave her a white rose and wished a happy Mother’s Day.

The next morning, Monday, the following appeared on the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Facebook page: “From one of our deputies: To the kind stranger who asked, ‘Are you a mother?’ and then gave me a rose when I came to check on an accidental 911 call at your church gathering. Thanks for making working on Mother’s Day a little nicer and brightening up my rolling office.” Accompanying the note was a photo of the inside of her patrol car with a white rose sitting on top of her computer.

Butt calls are an annoyance. However, every once in a while, they produce abundant fruit.