Emailing Heaven ... Mom, Send Help Quick!

To: Helen D. Gervase

From: Your favorite son

CC/BC:

Subject: Send Help Quick

Hey Ma,

Happy 16^th Mother’s Day in heaven. I sure do miss you. I know I haven’t emailed in a while, but it’s high time I did so. Things are crazy down here. We’ve got a global pandemic going on. And, I need your help.  

Before I fill you in, let me update you on the fam. Dad is still the king of Carmel (and its weekly newspaper). He lives on a forested hilltop, surrounded by deer, gardens of flowers, and the sweet companionship of a lovely lady who keeps him in check. She also prevents him from going out in shorts and knee-high dress socks. So we’re very thankful for her.

Christy is still in Monterey. She’s a superhero OR nurse and a hall-of-fame mom. She’s a quiet, humble expert in just about everything, from antiques to home remodeling. She’s like a sister-Siri. I can call her and ask her anything and she’ll have a helpful answer for me. (I can explain Siri later if you need me to). 

Jenny and her family moved out to Murrieta a few years ago. I miss that she’s not around the corner. She too is rocking her nurse’s cape and has taken her spot alongside Christy in the motherhood hall of fame. She’s also working her way up the multi-level marketing pyramid. She does it with grace, laughter, and a contagious amount of positivity. I can’t wait to see her at the top very soon. She’s a natural and must have been paying close attention whenever you tried the latest home-based sales program.

Ok, so like I said, it’s a tad wild down here. A weird virus came out of China and has quickly made its way to every corner of the globe. Basically, the whole planet has shut down. Over a million Americans have been infected and nearly 80,000 have died. The U.S. economy is below rock bottom and unemployment is sky high. We’ve been quarantined at home for nearly two months. Just about everything is closed. Schools, restaurants, and churches are empty. All the pro sports leagues are on sabbatical. Mom, I need baseball big time.

It’s a very unsettling and confusing time and is definitely unlike anything that I’ve ever seen. It’s now being called a “hinge” moment in history, like the Great Depression or 9/11. Not since 1918 has the world experienced a pandemic of this magnitude. Parts of the country are starting to re-open. But some people think it’s too early to do so, while others believe we shouldn’t have closed down as strictly as we did. It’s just so hard to know what’s going to happen. By some reports, it could be 18 to 24 months before we return to normal. Or a second wave of outbreaks might be around the corner. I’m not sure our country can handle either one.

You see, over the last few years the United States has grown increasingly divided. We are polarized politically and it’s driving people away from one another, within families, within churches, and across the country. People are restless and tired of sheltering in place. Tensions are high, the news media isn’t trustworthy, political correctness is out of control, and politicians are fallible (at their best). Protesting has become the new national pastime. Not that speaking out against injustice is a bad thing. I’m all for the first amendment, but it just seems to be getting out of control and often misguided. Protesting racial prejudice is good. Protesting beach closures seems selfish. And this Coronavirus is fueling the fire. I’m afraid something devastatingly violent is going to happen.

I was hoping and praying that a silver lining to this pandemic would be a unifying and a healing of our nation. That we’d become more unified as a people or that maybe God would bring about some kind of spiritual revival. That more people would do less looking out for themselves and do more looking up to heaven for help. Of course there’s still time, as I said, we might have 18 more months for God to ignite change.

So this is where you come in. Can you pull some strings, maybe get some one-on-one time with Yahweh, and possibly ask him to help us out down here? We really need this pandemic to peter out so everybody can go back to work. We’re desperate for some good news to quell the pressure that seems to be gripping the nation. Oh and of course, some extra helpings of the Holy Spirit would go a long way in turning more hearts toward heaven.

I know this is a big ask, but I’m not requesting this for myself. Personally, I’m doing really well. I’m diligently trying to keep the current batch of third graders engaged and active while teaching from home. And I’m privileged to quarantine with the most wonderful wife and mom. She loves me so well and I thoroughly adore spending our sheltered time together. Like Christy and Jenny, she too is a gold-medal winning mom. She’s is the epitome of patience with her kids. She’s full of wisdom, strength, and gentleness. She’s rarely frustrated and always unflappable. It’s almost as if someone up there knew exactly what I needed.

You always knew exactly what I needed when I was a kid, so I’m guessing you may have had something to do with bringing Beautiful Karla into my life. 

I’m going to keep praying for the aforementioned requests. I’m not sure how it works where you are, but please do whatever it takes to talk to Abba Father. Set an appointment, grab coffee, invite him over, or take a walk together. 

The world, our country, and our leaders need a lot of help.

And He’s the only one who knows exactly what we need.