I went on a short trip this past weekend, nothing was really different except that I was more aware of the poeple around me. I flew by myself on the way there, I was seated next to a lady that worked in Oak Ridge. We spoke about our kids, hers grown and they just bought a convertible, mine very much still at home :) She was going to Washington to head up a panel for Homeland security scholarships. She was very interesting and well versed in the college scholarship dos and don'ts, very encouraging with my son's pending career as an undercover CIA/chef choice. We laughed and talked the whole time it was nice.
Washington is beautiful... something drew me even from the air. I have moved it up in my top 5 palces to visit even though I only saw one concourse of the extremely large airport, I am hooked.
on the second leg of my trip I met another girl. She too, has been running a million miles an hour in the wrong direction. It's funny, she had the outer package: young, beautiful, bright eyes, christian book in hand but, still very lost in all of the pain she feels. I instantly identified with her, we talked, shared, laughed and shed a few tears on that 56 min. flight. It was oddly refreshing for me. I left knowing she would be OK, but also knowing she had some long road ahead until she would be willing to forgive. Oh, how I wish there was a short cut to healing, you know, without the acess pain.
I sat around all weekend, shopped a little, ate alot! and slept in. My vacation was well used :)
On the way home I listened to my IPOD, the lady next to me was SICK as a DOG (hack, hack, cough, cough!) YUK!!! We did speak a little and it was nice. I just was reminded that people are willing to talk IF we are willing to listen (really listen). I found that I was blessed by just knowing something about my sky-high friends that mattered to them. For those of you that know me, you know that I LOVE to talk but this weekend, I loved and learned, a little better, how to listen.