A Prayer Emergency: Yikes!

I feel pretty certain I can't be the only person this has happened to, but if not, it was definitely a moment worth remembering. As soon as the red splotches subsided from my cheeks due to utter embarrassment, a colleague said, "Hey! This is a story you can blog about!" So here I am, writing it down for posterity. Enjoy . . .

While attending my first school board meeting where the district leadership team would meet our new superintendent, a bit of a mishap occurred. We stood to our feet, and a trustee asked us to bow our heads for the invocation prayer. Oh no!, I thought, I forgot to silence my cellphone! Reaching into my purse, I held down the volume button on my iPhone and all of a sudden an SOS 🚨 sound blared. Mortified, I frantically clicked buttons trying to stop the madness. The next thing you know a trusted friend is nudging me because everyone in close proximity could hear the operator repeatedly saying, "Hello? Hello? Are you there?" I glanced down rushing to hang up. Pure fear enveloped me. I had unknowingly dialed 911. Colorful expletives raced through my mind, and I beelined it for the hallway, hoping emergency vehicles weren't waiting in the parking lot. 

A quick Google search revealed what you see pictured below. 

No one had attempted to call me back and red lights weren't flashing outside, so I took a deep breath and prayed I would survive the shame sh*t storm I was experiencing. A brief break in the meeting occurred, and gracious colleagues flooded the hallway, reassuring me everything would be okay. Needless to say, once my overactive amygdala calmed down, I found humor in the situation. Thanks, Bob Ross for reminding us, "There are no mistakes, just happy accidents!"