On My Way... Again

Well, i'm on the road again, starting tomorrow morning with a flight to Ottawa, for a women's ministry conference, and then a trip down to Nashville for a publisher sales conference on Sunday. Here's hoping (and praying) that my luggage makes it this time, and that the Thrifty Car Rental folks are a lot better at these airports.

(Update: I got my bag, and am waiting for my clothing refund. Thrifty has refunded my car rental from Orlando due to their 'Customer Service Representative' making me cry! I even got a beautiful gift basket from Au Bon Pain for the open, stale coffee beans they sold me! All's well that ends well...)

Anyhow, i'm looking forward to catching up on my magazine reading in the airports, and probably will devour "Miss Match" - a first novel from Erynn Mangum that was HIGHLY recommended to me. (Thanks Michelle!) It looks like fun, and since I actually did love the old television series by the same name featuring Cher from Clueless (Alicia Silverstone) which no longer runs on tv *sob*.

So, even if I have a cancelled or delayed flight - I have good reading. And if nothing else, I have Sudoku (i'm so addicted it frightens me).

Suitcase Life - Part 2

The thing about a suitcase life is that you get pretty dependent on your suitcase – and it can seem like all the world is wrong if it goes missing. Well, it went missing last week. There I was, in Orlando, Florida with my shorts, t-shirts and bathing suit (and yes, clothes for my meetings the next morning) in my suitcase lost somewhere in the US Airlines system. I had been looking forward to some great sunny weather and the potential for a couple hours by the pool. Instead, I was standing at the baggage carousel, grabbing fast food, and making a run to Target for deodorant and something to wear in the morning.

It was really lost too – no one seemed to know where it was. You see, between a cancelled flight and being rerouted, the suitcase got lost somewhere in Toronto, Philadelphia or Pittsburg and it had seemingly vanished.

Now, this sometimes happens, and you get your bag in a few hours. Not a big deal. However, my bag didn’t reappear until 3:30 AM two days later, and only 3 ½ hours before I was leaving Florida.

I also had a car rental nightmare, cancelled / delayed flights, 3 ½ hours on hold with US Airways, and a crumbling living room wall at home that was supposed to be having repairs but wasn’t.

I had a really frustrating travel week, but I ended up with new clothes and new shoes, which is a bit of a comfort. It made me realize though, how when you live out of a suitcase, the suitcase is pretty important. It’s kind of like your house goes missing!

This leaves me wondering, what is my ‘suitcase’ when I’m at home? What part of my life has to be intact and where I can control it so that I feel like life is okay? Also, what is complaining and what is simple fact-stating (why in the world did I give up complaining for Lent?)

Breaking Lent

Oh...how little provocation it takes for me to break Lent.

I confess, all it took was a day of travel exhaustion to lead me to complain bitterly on Monday evening. After being yelled at by an Air Canada lounge employee, a delayed (deicing) flight to Nashville, a wait for my luggage, a taxi ride to the hotel, and a round-about shuttle ride to a late-night dinner meeting, I was tired and cranky, and I WANTED to complain. My travel companion / coworker, Tim, worked to keep spirits light by laughing at the ridiculous situation, but you know what? I didn't WANT to laugh. I wanted to gripe and let my frustration be aired. I did NOT want to allow God to show me what He would have me learn in this situation.

Later that evening, and the next day, I realized that the source of my complaining (other than simple weariness) was control. The situation was out of my control - the delays, the detours, the waits, the surprise meetings - I had no control, and wasn't necessarily willing to recognize that although I had no control of the circumstances, God did. I wasn't willing to surrender my grabbing 'me' attitude for Spirit-generated self-control.

So this is what Lent is about, isn't it? Recognizing our own sinful nature and laying down our 'self' so that we recognize God's rule in our life and in our world. Oh... I have so far to go. However, i'm back in the saddle, as it is, and praising God for snow (as it means a snow day for me today!), rather than complaining about winter!

How are you doing on your Lent fast?