We recently had a whirlwind travel week. We drove for about 15 hours to the cabin, (had to make several stops along the way) and arrived at 2:30 in the morning. It looked like an Alfred Hitchcock movie because there were dead bugs all over the hardwood floors; it looked like we had black floors. So we spent the next half hour vacuuming and doing bug removal. A day later, we went to pick up Michala, then drove another two hours to the airport. We flew out at 7:00 the next morning, so we had to be up at 4:30. Someone was kind enough to call Terry’s and my hotel room at 1:50 and again at 2:20, so we didn’t really go back to sleep after the phone woke us. We flew to Rhode Island, and it was go-go-go all day and night until we crashed. The second night in another hotel was pretty sleepless as well, and we had to be up and at ‘em bright and early the next morning.
I bought some super cute heels that had great reviews on Lulus for the events. Let me be clear … if I only had to wear these for a few hours, they would be perfectly fine. Wearing them for 14 hours, walking on cobblestone streets and pavement, however, was not perfectly fine. I changed clothes at the airport and slipped out of my dress and heels and into jeans and ankle boots. I have always been a big believer that you should dress decently for a flight, but I was seriously wishing I had pajamas and slippers, instead.
Our flight landed moments before midnight, we had to wait on our luggage, then make the trek to the parking garage and we drove back to the cabin. It was 3:15 Thanksgiving morning when we arrived at the cabin, and Mom had dinner planned at 2:00. Knowing we would be late, we told them to please go ahead and eat without us, but they prolonged putting the turkey in the fryer and the side dishes in the oven until we arrived, a little after 3:00. We also celebrated my birthday with my parents and brother and his family, on Thanksgiving.
Y’all. We were past the point of being exhausted. Completely, totally drained and exhausted. While at the cabin, Terry, Michala and I celebrated my birthday. First of all, Terry thinks he is absolutely hilarious when he tells people I am 55 years old. I am 46 now, but for two years, he has found great pleasure in his own hilarity at my expense. This year, he promoted me to “56” thus the 56 candles. He and Michala turned off the lights to the cabin, lit the candles then told me to make a wish.
It was probably a mixture of exhaustion and emotions, but I just started crying. I looked at the two of them and said, “I don’t know what to wish for … I have everything I’ve ever wanted.” I said a quick prayer of thanks, made a simple wish and blew out my candles.
“The Lord replied, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.” - Habakkuk 1:5 (NLT)
That is one of my favorite scriptures, and I read it often and smile. Sometimes I even cry happy tears when I read it, because I am so amazed at what God has done in my life. If an angel of the Lord appeared to me ten years ago and said, “You are going to be so happy, you will frequently cry tears of joy instead of tears of sadness,” I would have said, “Wrong house, dude. Safe travels,” and shut the door.
Yet this is exactly what Papa has done in Terry’s and my lives. We both say how fortunate we are to be so happy and so in love, and how grateful we are God brought us to this place.
After taking Michala back to her apartment Sunday evening, Terry and I decided to go ahead and drive all the way back home, and arrived in our driveway at 5:40 Monday morning.
Our days and nights were so confusing. We kept looking at each other asking, “What day is this?” and “What time is it?” On our way up to the cabin before the traveling all began, Terry told me he left my birthday presents at home, and he and I would have a celebration when we returned. So Tuesday night, he turned off the lights and placed one of my favorite protein cookies on a plate and lit a match for me to make a wish (because he didn’t know where the candles were).
I know a lot of you are hurting, and you are not in a place of unbelievable joy and happiness. I want you to look around and be amazed! For God is doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it. Keep trusting, dear one. The best is yet to come!