Travel Detours

It’s 5:30 a.m., October 4, 2011. 

The morning, thus far, has been flawless.  All is well in the Portland Airport where I am sitting with my Starbucks, granola bar, and boiled egg (compliments of one of my housemate, Marci, who boils them by the dozens). I spent the night at Kitty’s and she dropped me off at this morn at 4:30 two hours before my flight leaves (Anxiety reduction = arriving early at airports). Three cheers for PC printed boarding passes, curbside check-in and a carry-on with wheels!  Yipee! Today, I have a flight to Chicago and then after a wait, it’s on to Boston!  Will arrive about 7:30 P.M. Boston time—that will be mid afternoon for you.

Last night there were plenty of hugs and kisses from precious grandbabies and my kids.  Several of us met for pizza at Josh and Susie’s so we could enjoy some time before my departure.  Gee Wiz, at the moment it feels like seven weeks is nearly an eternity; but, I’m confident I’ll settle in quickly and will feel at home in no time!  When my time to leave arrives, I may not want to return… 

Speaking of going, I best close and catch you later.  Boarding in 10! 

Hugs

2:45 Chicago time, Same day October 4, 2011.

Had a nice pleasant flight.  It still amazes me how quickly I got here.  A couple years ago, it took me three days by train to get to this same city!  It seemed that most of America was under cloudy skies today, but of course, from my vantage point, the sunlight was brilliant with little more to see than white fluffy clouds below. 

I’m reading the book Choosing To See by Mary Beth Chapman.  Excellent books thus far, though it is also somewhat sad in that she is sharing her journey of grief after the death of their young daughter Maria a few years ago.  I enjoy her writing style: engaging and very sincere.   

At the risk of scaring you away due to the length (and the weight) of this entry, I will share here a page from the book that is especially meaningful.  If you are in a hurry, you may decide to pass by this section and revisit at a later time.  It’s well worth revisiting, though, meaningful insights.

Page 24:  “So here I am, putting down these words one by one, because God has surprised me over and over… I have come face to face with evil and what part it plays in our lives, past, present, and future.  I am realizing though that God is God and He is purposeful in destroying what evil intends for harm.  He is surprising me in good ways beyond what can be measured on this earth!  I am living what I once only read in Genesis 50:20-21 where Joseph tells his brothers, ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done… So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children…’” Even in this free fall of pain, I’ve landed on a solid foundation and my faith has held… on most days.  I have learned that God is good… always.  Hope is real.  I have found even in the awful pain of tears and grief so intense you think it will kill you—that my family and I can do hard.  We’ll never get over our loss, but we’re getting through it.  And so I have prayed that our journey through the shadows of loss might be of some help to those who have experienced similar pain… that our stewardship of this story would comfort many.  But, I need to be clear…This book isn’t just about…Steven and I… It’s about a story… a story God is writing.  All along the way, He has changed my story…I’ve had whole chapters added and deleted and strange plot twists that I never saw coming.  The truth is, I was born with a plan.  I wanted life to be safe and predictable.  My plan was to marry someone with a nice nine-to-five schedule and have a tidy, organized life—everything under control.  Absolutely none of that came true!  And, if it had—if I had lived the life I thought I wanted—I know I wouldn’t have experienced the grace or the miracles of God in the ways that I have.  What I’ve found is that it’s in the most unlikely times and places of hurt and chaos that God gives us a profound sense of His presence and the real light of His hope in the dark places.  So, [this book is about] God… and how He can comfort, carry, and change us on our journey, no matter how hard it is.”

Bless you Mary Beth!  Whom of us cannot relate… perhaps not today, but at different junctures in our individual journeys.

Quote for the day:

Love of God is pure when joy and suffering inspire an equal degree of gratitude.—Simone Weil

Thank you for joining in Joy of the Journey.  I do hope to hear from you either on this site, or via my email.

Hugs…

October 5, 2011:

I just settled in on the Amtrak… Such a welcome rest after yesterday’s long day of air travel.  Our flight from Chicago to Boston was delayed by over two hours, so not only did we end up with more time to kill at the airport than any of us wanted, but also our arrival in Boston was quite late.  As a result, the public transportation I was planning to use to get to my hotel room ran every hour rather than every 20 minutes… Uggh!  So, there I was, close to 11:00 p.m., standing on a street corner in the rain, in a not-so-great part of town (quite shady, actually) waiting for a bus.  A young couple offered me a ride, but I declined riding with strangers.  Finally, I decided to just pay the price, and I hailed a Taxi to get me to my room, expensive, but worth it.  I arrived well after midnight.  The hotel wasn’t anything to write home about either.  But, I was so tired, I didn’t really care much.  The sheets were clean—no bed bugs!  (I checked…)  I feel asleep quickly, very pleased to have a day of bustling airports, man handling luggage, figuring out public transportation systems, impatient and unfriendly staff, and all that fun stuff that often goes with travel, behind me.

Today, I rose early, eager to navigate my way back to South Station Boston, so I could check my bags and take a nice walk.  All went well, and I enjoyed a two hour walk through Boston’s beautiful and historical downtown.  I will post some pictures.

I was eager to visit some of the sites my youngest son Daniel and I had seen 13 years ago when we first visited the New England states.  I didn’t take the entire “historical walking tour” that Dan and I enjoyed then, but I did revisit some of those sites.  Boston is such a beautiful city with its numerous sidewalk carts, old cobblestone streets, and historical buildings.  I fell in love with it years ago and was not disappointed while visiting again today.

I am currently passing through the scenic country side of Massachusetts.  Very beautiful!  Just left the Worchester train stop.  Oh my goodness, this city is pretty and very old with tons of red brick buildings and gorgeous old churches.

I’m feeling quite sleepy, so will close and take a nap here in my comfy seat.  I so enjoy the train!

Hugs…         

October 6, 2011

Well, all can't go well forever, and I've certainly happened upon a major glitch in my plans!  When I chose to travel back to Chicago on the train, it was not so I could go to Chicago, because I've been here numerous times before; rather, my reason was to catch the Amtrak Cardinal.  I was to have a 5 hour lay over here at the Chicago Union Station, then the Cardinal was to take me down through Indiana, north eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, DC, and on up to New York.  My whole purpose for the train trip was to see West Virginia and Virginia. 

Well.... found out today that a cargo train derailed and has blocked the entire Cardinal route for several days.  Ugggh!  So, my only alternative is to miss the Virginias and those places I was so excited to see.  Instead, I have a 6 hour longer lay over here in Chicago, which will total 12 hours by the time I leave here, and I will only go through states where I have already been.  Ummm...  One good thing is I will be in New York a little earlier, so perhaps I will be able to take the subway out to see some sites.  I would like to go to Ground Zero.  So, my lay over in NY will be over 8 hours.  I believe I could probably take the subway down and back from ground zero in the time I have.  Anyway, perhaps I will try to do that.  Ohhh...  but, I am so dissappointed not to be going to West Virginia.  Now, it will be a whole other trip just to get back out here again to go there.  Ummm... Well, it's okay.  Fortunately, no one was hurt in the cargo train derailment, so this is just a detour, not a devestation.  

My train ride was pleasant yesterday and last night.  I had dinner with some people on an America by Rail tour.  Her name was Kathy and his was Ron.  There was also a lady named Barb.  They are all retired educators Kathy and Rick were principals, and the Barb was a school developer.  Kathy and Rick retired about ten years ago then became pastors of a non-denominational church in Indiana.  Barb was obviously quite wealthy; she had stories to tell about her vacation homes here and there.  Ummm...   

 I've gotten some pictures of Boston, Albany NY, and here in Chicago.  When I can’t get a shot of something I’ve seen, I sometimes take a shot of a post card, provided it’s something I saw myself.  So, if you suspect something might be a little too perfect, it just might be a cheater picture! –smile-- But, they will only be one or two shots...

Would love to hear from you.

Hugs...