Call a Friend

“What’s wrong, Josef?” It was his friend and confessor, Monsignor Rafael Mendoza.

Ranell sat on his bunk in the tiny cabin of the airship, looking out at the last rays of sun staining the horizon with indescribable shades of pink and violet. This time of year, it would never fully set here. The beauty was a solace for his battered soul. "She's leaving me."

“Ah…” There was a long pause. Ranell had been discussing the state of his marriage with Mendoza for many months, so the bad news did not surprise him. "How bad is it this time?"

“She’s having papers served at my office,” Ranell answered flatly. “It’s over.”

“I’m so sorry, Josef.” The deep sympathy expressed by a man he trusted eased Ranell’s heavy burden.

“Thank you, Rafael.” Ranell typically addressed his friend as Monsignor. His use now of the priest’s first name was an instinctive reflex in response to genuine compassion. “But maybe this is all for the best.”

“It is unfortunate, yes.”

Ranell knew that Mendoza considered divorce a sin. He also knew that Mendoza would never condemn him for it. So, the priest’s next question surprised him.

“Did you do your best, Josef?”

"You know I did, Father," Ranell replied somewhat more defensively than he’d intended. "The demands of this job have just put too much strain on us. Something had to give.”

Mendoza was quiet on the phone for a long moment. Finally, he said, “Do not wear yourself out in the pursuit of wealth and cease even to think about it.”

Ranell sighed. “Yeah, that’s what I’ve been thinking about. Maybe it’s time I quit this job. Find something else to do. Although I don’t really see how I can in this economy. I’ll be out on the street with all the others…”

"No, Josef," Mendoza chided gently. "That is from the Bible. Proverbs 23:4. Perhaps you have been pursuing something that runs contrary to God's will for you. Consider this question: What would you do with your life if you could stop thinking about pursuing wealth?"

“If money wasn’t an issue?” Ranell asked rhetorically, as if trying on the idea for the first time. “I really wouldn’t know…” Even imagining working without the perpetual backdrop of financial gain and loss felt like exercising a long-unused muscle. All I really know how to do is logistics.

“You don’t have to quit your job,” Mendoza clarified. “I’m just asking you to get in touch with your deeper sense of purpose.”

Ranell stared out of his cabin window, watching the gray clouds, backlit with silver now from the endless sunset of the Arctic circle. This never gets old, he thought, maybe my future lies in these beautiful skies. “No, Father. I think I do need to quit my job.”

There was another long pause, as if Mendoza was hesitant to endorse a rash course of action. “I’ve been listening carefully to you, my son. I think what I am hearing is that you have been considering some new plan for a long time. I know how your mind works, take a moment and explain your thoughts to me.”

Ranell struggled for words. "It hasn’t been a long time." Then he corrected himself. "Well, I guess I've wanted a change for a long time, but I just got some news today that seems to be crystallizing. In my mind, plans are building that feel like puzzle pieces coming together.”

Mendoza just waited silently, allowing Ranell to sort through his ideas.

“We’re talking about donating these airships to charity.” Ranell leaned forward, phone at his ear, staring intently at the floor as the familiar sensation of planning and balancing countless variables washed over him. He felt alive with renewed vigor. “What if I was to run the charity they donated these airships to?"

“Do you mean, like a non-profit?” Mendoza asked. “What kind of charity work could you do with airships?”

“Think about it, Father.” Much welcomed bubbles of enthusiasm began to percolate again in Ranell's heart. “The whole world is in turmoil. The one thing I know how to do well is transport goods from where they are to where they need to be. With these airships, I could deliver food to famine victims in places inaccessible to anyone else. I could do search and rescue operations. Think about the endless possibilities for disaster relief.”

“This seems so sudden,” Mendoza said cautiously. “But I’ve known you too long to interfere with your planning once it’s started. Just be cautious, my son.”

“You know me, Father. I’ve always got contingencies." Ranell grinned sadly, "But maybe I’m being called to become the world’s Quartermaster.”