Emergency Letter

March 6, 2020 — Laura House

When Nathan was ten, Gary and I won a trip to Cancun. Rarely traveling without the kids, this was a new adventure for us, and for them. As we pulled out of our driveway to head to my parent’s house, where the kids would be pampered by grandparents for the duration of our trip, Nathan spotted his beloved cat, Todd, clearly limping. After examining his abscessed leg, I knew we were in trouble and thoughts of missing the tropical paradise surfaced. I quickly called my close friend, who offered to take Todd to the vet and then drop him at the kennel where we were boarding our coonhound until our return. Jill had eight children and understood the rarity of a trip like this. Bless her.
 
I had written an “emergency” letter for each child and told them that if they became really sad and missed us too much, they could open the letter. Both sets of grandparents were amazing people, so I knew the kids were in good hands. Driving grandpa’s tractor,“Mr. White,” cooking and shopping with grandma, and playing with cousins were all on the agenda while we were gone.
 
So, we headed to the airport in Indianapolis, and from there, paradise. The Moon Palace was an “all-inclusive” resort. I’d never heard of that, but it sounded good. Turns out, it meant that you could eat at any restaurants you wanted to, travel to the other sister hotels to use their amenities, and have waiters come by your cabana on the beach to offer you a cool lemonade or iced tea. Seriously! For this tired mom, it was heaven.
 
Phoning home on the third day, we spoke briefly to each child and were informed that “Nathan had to use his emergency letter.” I’m not entirely sure if he really needed to use it or just wondered what was in it, but we talked for a few minutes, enough to satisfy me that he was fine and having fun. Just recently, I found his emergency letter and enjoyed reading the words of comfort and love I had written to him.
 
Incidentally, when we arrived back at the kennel to retrieve our pets, we were met by a solemn-faced business owner. Apparently, Jake (our dog) had howled for four days and Todd (Nathan’s cat) had cried incessantly, wreaking havoc in her usually peaceful establishment. We were “not welcome to bring them back.” Embarrassed, we apologized profusely, loaded up the children and renegade pets as fast as we could, and headed home.
 
When Nathan was in his early twenties, he and Megan were chatting about the emergency letter incident and our trip. She asked him if he remembered how long we were gone. His response? Two weeks. Reality? Four days. They had a good chuckle at that.

I find that I need an emergency letter quite often these days and am grateful that I can turn to the Bible for comfort. For me, there are a few specific scriptures that are especially meaningful when I am grieving—  the Psalms, Isaiah 43, Romans 8 and John 14.
 
Isaiah 43: 1- 3a 
“But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you. “For I am the Lord your God,…”