"Just ask them"

TO MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY:

As many of you may know by now, I am moving back to my native Virginia after being away 33 years, in order to be closer to my ailing 94-year-old father, who lost his wife of 73 years, my mother Rosalyn, last October. I had planned to move last summer, but my mother’s decline prompted me to postpone my preparations to put my New Jersey condo on the market, in order to be with my parents during that difficult time (I’m their sole surviving child). I made a lot of seven-hour trips back and forth throughout the balance of 2021, doing everything in my power to keep them in their home.

Prior to that, I’d been working several part-time jobs that were adversely affected by COVID, and I lost one source of income after another in rapid succession. My budget, originally planned for a sale by last August, has been stretched beyond its limits, and I am now in dire financial straits.

During all this I have tried to be largely self-reliant, reaching out only to my father and one good friend for some short-term loans, but I don’t want to ask them for more. And so, I prayed. What should I do? What’s the answer? Would other friends and family help if they knew I was in need? But I felt embarrassed to bring it up.

I don’t hear an actual voice when I sense that God is answering my prayers, but I do find thoughts in my head that I know I didn’t put there, and I’ve come to believe this is how God speaks to me. JUST ASK THEM, “said” the Voice.

And so, here I am, requesting any small amount you can spare, which I’ll repay once my condo sale closes. And even if you can’t make a contribution, I sure would appreciate your supportive thoughts and prayers. Thank you, most humbly.