Chapter 8 (Heaven)

Chapter 8 (Heaven)

Journeys to earth were not instantaneous. Traveling across dimensions was a weird sensation especially the first time when one had no idea what to expect. The experience was hard to describe, sort of like being on rollercoaster in a wind tunnel blindfolded. Not that it was totally dark, but the lights and colors swirled around you and there was a spinning, dropping sensation. The transition was probably more mental than physical and each trip took a few minutes depending on where you were leaving from and how strong the portal connection was. This was not the first rodeo for Ben or May. Ben had made several trips to earth before on assignments to visit or witness special earthly events. May was even what you might call a frequent flier. They did not often get to go together so this was an adventure. 

Ben was raised in a rural part of Southern Idaho on earth. As a young man he and a buddy invited cute May and her attractive sister to a dance in a nearby farm town. Ben was immediately smitten. He courted and married May after only a few months. Hardworking farm boys did not have the luxury to wine, dine and woo for weeks and even years on end, like they did in today’s world. He was a simple guy. He liked her, she liked him so they got married and started a family.

Six children came quickly. Ben was often away earning money in any way he could to feed his growing family. One of his steady jobs was as a sheepherder. He would live in a little camp-type trailer for weeks on end grazing and tending the sheep in fields and mountain meadows. Not a lucrative profession, but honest work. When the outgo would outstrip the income he would head north to pick up other odd jobs to put food on the table and pants on growing boys. As soon as his sons were old enough to work they would head out on their own to help, but the girls stayed close. He may not have provided temporally as well as he wished he had been able, but he loved his brood and gave generously of what he had. 

He loved many things on earth. Horehound hard candies, and Black Jack, Clove and  Beeman’s gum were among favorite treats that he always had on hand for the kids. He did not see these flavors around much anymore. Occasionally he would take time to enjoy a sporting event. He loved college sports, even though he was never able to attend college himself, and he still liked the earthy smells of farm life. He dreamed of driving a nice car, but was killed driving an old Pontiac sedan when a teenaged boy hit him pulling out onto the highway. The policeman said older men wearing hats never turn their heads far enough to catch fast oncoming cars. How unfortunate that a fine Cadillac or even classy Rolls-Royce was not his final ride. He left May living in a little house on his son’s farm for another twenty-five years until she joined him. 

May was more than anxious to leave earth, but due to good genes lived to be ninety-six years old. She buried three of her own children before she was allowed to cross the veil. Life was a struggle, but she always made the best of things and found a way to survive and see the good around her. In her middle years she lost the use of her arms. The doctors were baffled and did not know if it was from a fall on the icy porch or a polio-like virus. At first she felt so useless she wanted to end her life, so personally understood the struggle Emma was wrestling with, but eventually she found independence and joy in living again. 

May learned to cook, do her dishes, garden, start the fire and even dress herself by unique and creative means. Probably her greatest accomplishment was learning to paint with a brush or pen in her mouth. Her artwork was an external manifestation of the things she felt and places she saw in her mind. Art as a form of expression helped her capture and hold beauty in her mundane days. 

There were so many places she wanted to travel to while living and never had the opportunity. Now she never missed a chance to go whenever and wherever she could. She visited many of her posterity, especially her grandchildren unawares. One time she was allowed to drop down to Oregon to see the orchard where a granddaughter lived on Mount Hood that she had been unable to travel to while living. Her assignment was to give this girl a lift and let her know she was not alone. May found a CD player with inspirational music in the living room and started a song playing on it with a message of support for this descendent. The girl was baffled on how the CD began playing a song on the middle of the disk with no one in the room, but did ponder the magically started words the song was singing to her. So May guessed that mission had been a success. 

She had already visited Emma a few times in the past and it was all she could do to not throw her now fully functioning arms around this young woman to hold her close and let her know someone was near helping. She wanted to hug and hold many of her grandchildren when living, wait, she was still living, maybe earthbound was a better term. But she settled for verbal expressions and told them stories with her words to hold them close. Emma would not be able to feel arms around her as if they had been physical anyway, but she may have felt a warm and tingling sensation whose source she would not be able to identify. 

May did not give herself enough credit. She was not always aware of what an example and inspiration she was to many, just in the way she lived each day in and out, not letting her limitations define her. She could see that better now from this vantage point. It was not so much what happened to you down there, but how you dealt with it. 

The heavenly couple did not really have a formulated plan on how to proceed, but knew they would be directed and given insight as needed. They just had to be open, willing and in the right place. May and Ben arrived earth-side with a jolt and saw they were near the Lanrete’s home. A small single engine bright yellow airplane buzzed right overhead as they emerged on earth. 

Within a country block or half mile of Emma’s home was a small airport with landing strip for small planes to take off and land. Neither Ben nor May had the funds nor opportunity to travel by air while living on earth so planes still held a fascination for them, especially Ben. He wondered how such heavy metal could stay aloft. He would have to study that in a Learning Center when he returned above. It was interesting that both planes and birds had wings for flight, yet both he and May could travel quite wingless. Most portraits of angels depicted them with wings and there were even stories about them being able to “earn their wings”. Surprisingly wings were unnecessary for the travel they participated in. The image of wings did connote flight and being able to transport from one place to the next by air, so it made sense to picture angles with those appendages. Wings might be elegant to soar with, but could be awkward and messy. Their travel was streamlined and convenient like all heavenly things. 

Various types of birds also flew flight patterns through the pastoral area. Many colors of feathers with individual beaked tweets and song-like calls filling the air celebrating the warmth and longer light of the season. These egg-layers did not need a control tower to monitor their comings and goings, but filled the sky with soaring life. Ben and May felt right at home and visible amidst them.

Being back immersed in all earth-things evoked memories that suddenly filled Ben with remorse for the limited things they had been able to do with their meager means. How quickly the time sped by here. Everyone now surrounded themselves with so much stuff and traveled the globe as a form of entertainment. 

Ben: “May, I know we did not live fancy lives, but was your life on earth okay? Did you feel like you had enough and were able to do enough? Sorry I did not provide you will the extras.”  

May’s clear blue eyes were misty, “Oh Benjamin, you old fool, I had everything that mattered…a good man who loved me and a family that remembered me. We had food on the table and cloths on our backs. I had everything I could ever have wanted and I still have you.” 

Reassured, they both felt strengthen from the comfort-giving connection to enable them to press forward in carrying on with the mission at hand. It took them just moments to arrive at the Lanrete’s even without wings. Entering the door without opening it, they encountered Emma sitting with Arty on the couch reading him a favorite story, “Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch. Emma read aloud the classic refrain:

“I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always, 

As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be.” 

It was a touching scene and the perfect intervention suddenly came to May’s mind.

She communicated with Ben that he needed to go find Jack immediately and plant a thought in his mind to remind him that is was Emma’s birthday and he should call her. 

Transportation was not needed while in their disembodied state and Ben swooshed away to enlighten his grandson-in-law. 

May cuddled up close to Emma and Arty on the couch. While the two may not be able to feel her non-bodied form, the goodwill and love emitted from her being permeated the area and soothed their souls. The sweet story had not been written on earth until 1995, so May was not familiar with it, but the story touched her heart. She snugged in to enjoy the story time too. She knew from experience that love did cross boundaries and last forever. 

A phone rang. The Lanrete’s kept a home phone since neither Emma nor Arty owned a phone and either Maggie or Arty could have a medical emergency at anytime, so there might be need to contact medical services. May saw Emma arise from the well-worn leather cushions to answer the phone by the 4th ring. 

Her father’s tired voice greeted her on the other end of the line, “Happy birthday Gracie girl”, he used to call her by her middle name when she was younger as a nickname. “Sorry I am not there for your  big day, but I am bringing something home for you when I come. I still remember that spring day you were born and am so glad you were.” 

There was an awkward pause on the line. Emma was so caught off guard and surprised he remembered. This was not like recent dad at all, a lump formed in her throat, but before she could say more than, “Thanks dad ”, the old too-busy-with-important-things Jack returned. “Well, got to go, just have a minute, but did not want you to think I forgot.” 

Actually he had forgotten until just a moment ago when a random remembrance popped into his head out of nowhere that it happened to be Emma’s birthday. The call ended shortly after, but May knew it was a enough to let Emma know she was not forgotten and give her a glimmer of hope. She returned to her brother on the couch with a thoughtful look and more tranquil spirit. This was definitely a successful intervention.

Ben returned shortly there after, his part of the mission accomplished perfectly. He and May lingered a while longer to absorb the sibling sweetness.Then Ben offered May his arm and asked her a question with a low, gallant bow.

“May would you escort me on a swing through Southern Idaho for a brief earth-date before heading back through the portal.” requested Ben

May swiftly replied, “Why Benjamin, I would be honored to visit our old stomping ground with you and see it with these new eyes. Lead the way.”

But like on most married couple dates the topic of conversation hovered around things they left back at home. Emma really was an amazing girl, sister and daughter who was doing so well from an eternal perspective they agreed, if they could only help her see herself and her short mortal existence more clearly. That was the eternal challenge.