I am so thrilled to be here in East Tennessee for Christmas, in the house I grew up in and with the memories flooding our time together! My journey to the South was long and "hurry up and wait" was the theme...(I will upload some photos as soon as I figure out how to take pics off my phone.) I stayed in the Seattle airport overnight because the weather was so crazy. John Kopp drove me to the airport and on the way there cars were turned backwards and in ditches along I-5. So I wasn't about to potentially miss an open spot. (I felt like the mom on Home Alone...tempted enough to ride in the back of a U-Haul home)
I met a group of fellow travelers amongst the masses who were forced to sit still and wait on the weather to calm. I was so entertained by our airport "Breakfast Club" :) The stories told were everything from sailing to the Galapagos to having Lucky Jeans, Elle Magizine, and Southern Living feature a collection of cowboy boots from Bill's store in Texas. The stories of travel were fairly similar but it was the level of positivity and stresslessness that made our group fun!
We took up a few tables in the Starbucks, watched each others things and checked on the status of each others flights. We had a checker tournament with Spenda and Equal packets on the tiles of a table. Bill collected water bottles for the group and found us cardboard to sleep on. We laughed so hard about setting up a cardboard city and selling it to folks that were forced to stay in more nights :) We were entertained by the girl that pulled out her fiddle to play for those waiting in line all night.
I felt like I was living the Census in Bethlehem. There was no room on the planes and no room in the inn's. I was so amazed how strangely silent it was at 2am, when I got back in line, and at 5'2 & 1/2 I was towering over a pile of sleeping soldiers. I thought where soldiers lie sleeping, there is "Peace on Earth and good will towards men."
I was so tired but I was so intrigued by what the Lord was showing me. I stood wondering what would happen. The front desk the day before told me "No flights for five days" I wouldn't get home til after Christmas! But I felt like I had won the lotto! I made it through with a five hour delay! I WON!!! I got through security and I couldn't stop crying...after a nap at the gate. I woke up still so overwhelmed that I had the "golden ticket". Tears started flowing again and I giggled to myself, but as I looked up I saw these miming elves making there way through the exhausted crowd, trying to cheer folks up...or weird them out...I don't know! Then as I moved out of their entertainment path, to stand in line to get on the plane, Santa came down the main hall, singing Jingle Bells. I looked at him in surprise and wondered if I was dreaming. He was the ugliest Santa I had ever seen...with a weirdly pasted on beard. He hugged me from the side, still singing, and me with tears still flowing down my face from exhaustion, and he urged me to sing with him. I sniffled and said..."Dashing through the snow...." and he moved on. I could not believe that this had just happened.
I got on the plane still tearing up...tucked myself in a blanket and fell asleep...
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