Email from Heaven
Oh how I love technology! It can be such a blessing in our lives…I remember when my brothers were on their missions in Guatemala and Japan, it would take a good two weeks for letters to get back and forth. By that time, we’d forgotten the questions that we would be getting the answers to! News would be ‘old’ by the time we got it…but we didn’t know any better, so it was exciting to get that thin red, white and blue folded piece of paper stamped ‘airmail’ in the mailbox each week!
When Taylor left four years ago, I would anxiously sit by the computer on Monday mornings…I knew about what time he would get on the computer there, so I would just keep ‘refreshing’ my email to see when it would finally come through! Email Mondays were my favorite!
Now that Tanner is out of the Argentina training center and in Paraguay, his preparation day is Monday also, and I wait just as impatiently for that email to come through…it’s like Christmas every Monday…he informed us last Monday that he has had a fever of nearly 103 the past few days and had been quite sick. Not always what a mother likes to hear when her son is a continent away from her…it is close to midnight this Sunday evening, and although I am exhausted, sleep will not come because of the anticipation of these emails I have come to love!
Changing gears a bit, we just spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Beautiful Island Park, the place our family loves more than anywhere in the world, especially in the winter. This week, we were lucky enough to find some snow and do a little snowmobiling…another loved family pastime. Darren, Taylor, Brian and I headed out for a ride Saturday morning, and rode as close as weather would permit us to getting to the top of Two Top, a mountain peak that separates Island Park from West Yellowstone, one of our family’s favorite rides. As we rode along, I had plenty of time to think to myself as I cruised down the trails, admiring the snow-covered pine trees and majestic mountain views. Each time we pulled off the trail to play in some fresh, untouched powder, I had vivid images in my mind of Tyler riding around in that same meadow, practicing ‘doughnuts’, jumping off cornices, or just speeding by me, laughing because his snowmobile was so loud it would make me jump…yes, although it’s been exactly eighteen months since he’s been gone, the memories and pain can return with such fierceness that they still can literally take my breath away and make my heart race…
As I rode down the trail flooded with memories of Ty (I ride his snowmobile and wear some of his clothes), I was also missing Tanner and thinking about the upcoming email I need so much. I got thinking, ‘What if I could just get one email from heaven?’ What would I give for a little vibration on my phone, alerting me to a message that Ty’s okay now, what he’s been up to, and that he’s happy and great…enjoying his new adventures very much, but looking forward to the day when he can be with us again. That’s what I’m imagining Tanner’s email is going to say Monday-couldn’t I just get one from Ty too?
I mentioned this to my sweet, wise friend. She lovingly reminded me that maybe my ’emails’ are beautiful snow-covered pine trees, mountain-top views where one can almost see forever…going together as a family to get a Christmas Tree and being able to laugh again…
I know she’s right. My ’emails’ are there, waiting to be recognized. I have a loving Father in Heaven who desires to bless me and ‘communicate’ with me with all he has given me. This season, I am grateful for this knowledge, and mostly for my family and the love we have for each other…those bonds will never be broken.
I hope all those who have lost someone dear will be able to ‘open their emails’ as well and see the tender mercies of the Lord in all they have been blessed with as well. I believe He is constantly placing loving signs in our path if we will only open our eyes and recognize them!
Christmas Tree Outing- Joyfully adding Hadlee this year, painfully missing Tanner and Tyler
'On a Clear Day...you can see forever...but on a cloudy day, you can still see pretty far! :)'
Ty doing what he did best!
