Heaven Help Us!

Heaven Help Us!  That was the name of the Independent Christian Bookstore that I owned for ten years.  It was truly a labor of love.  I loved the atmosphere, the customers, our employees, and the service we provided.  Oh, and the books!

We hated having to close our store, but the time had come.  Our competition was Amazon, e-books, and big box stores.  In December 2012 with tears we locked the doors for the very last time.

Recently I received a call asking “is this Heaven Help Us?”  After I explained that we had previously owned it and now it was closed, the caller moaned and replied “oh, I don’t know what I will do now.  I went there all of the time.”  Hmmm, she called almost seven years after we closed and had no idea it happened yet she frequented the store “all the time”.  That was the last of many calls I have received identical to it.  Everyone shopped there all of the time but had no idea we had gone out of business years earlier.

Time has a funny way of slipping up on us, doesn’t it?  What seemed like just yesterday to some people was actually years.  Big difference.  When we think we recently phoned someone to check in with them in reality it might be a lot longer.  Visiting with family or dear friends could appear to be “all of the time,” but maybe it has been months or even years since the last one.

Don’t let precious time slip by.  Time waits for no one.  Carve out some to spend with loved ones making memories and reminiscing about treasured ones.  They might be sitting and waiting to hear from you.

How about talking to your Heavenly Father?  Do you really do that as much as you think?      Make it a priority to start and end your day with Him.  Do not just plan to do it, actually do it.  You will find the pieces of your day fall into place with daily prayer.   Don’t know what to pray sometimes?  Try “Heaven help us or Heaven help me.” We can all use help from above.