Homeward Bound

Still five hours to go on this plane ride and I’m so ready to be home. It feels a little anticlimactic to remember that Jesse will not be there as he’s away at college, and Trevor will not be there as he’s in India. I’ve been missing them all so much! Yesterday I kept listening to Trevor’s music and looking at photos of them all. I’ve got the mother hen thing going on when I feel the need to gather all the chicks close to me. They are very patient with me, never frowning or groaning when I call them “the babies.” Like, “Can you tell the babies it’s time to eat?” Mother privileges…

This has been an amazing trip. Honestly, I feel so blessed by the company I’ve kept. The folks on this wee leadership team for 24-7 are so great. I’d love for you to meet them. Some of them blog, (Brian , Carla , Billy , Andy .) Pete W. runs Living Generously and Pete G. (with a group of friends) kind of accidentally started the whole 24-7prayer thing. We worked hard and laughed hard and prayed hard too. I look forward to our next meeting.

Then I had a little more than 24 hours in Belfast with Brian and Pauline. I suppose the best way to introduce them to you would be to suggest you peruse Brian's site . His music is such a pleasure to me. The friendship with Bri and Po is an even greater pleasure. We had great talks and some crazy moments doing things like hoping the van wouldn’t fall off the jack as we stood in the cold and dark and rain by the side of the motorway while Brian struggled with a flat tire.

After Belfast I zipped over to England to spend two days with the Transit participants. I enjoyed their hospitality and led three sessions with them in which I taught some lessons dear to my heart regarding things learned along the way. (Gentleness of God, His desire to make us whole, Our life response to him.)

Tuesday night I crashed with the wonderful Freeman family. It felt good to be with kids again. Thanks for the game of catch, Jessica, and for the Guinness stew, Karen. I was well cared for and sent off on the early morning bus to Heathrow.

Nothing eventful during the wait for the plane but when I collected my email I was so shocked to find out my sweet little family thought I was arriving yesterday and Byron even went all the way to LAX to get me! Bless him! No one should have to drive to the airport and back for nothing. I will cover him in kisses when I get home. (I breathe a sigh of relief to know I DID give them my itinerary and it was just a mis-read and not something I did to confuse them!)

So the time on the plane passes slowly but I have been cheered by the offbeat film, Little Miss Sunshine. The family in the film is my new image of the kind of community I love…. a mixed bag of wounded, inappropriate and broken people learning to care for each other, to grow and to go forward together. Plus, there are Sufjan songs in the soundtrack. Nice one!

Home soon. Happy me!