It begins

Thursday, November 4, 2021

I board my first plane today @1045am and I arrive at my destination Friday @845pm…roughly 33 hours later. 

Some have said it’s too far to go and too short a time to stay. Some have wondered if the cost wouldn’t be better spent in other ways.  Some wonder why…

Those always thinking people need a fresh encounter with the power of relationship. 

My most cherished journeys are inextricably bound to those with whom I journey. Do not underestimate the power of connection in relationship. 

My plane ride, long as it is, is not wasted time. For me it is a time of preparation; of letting go of home and expectations and opening to all the possibilities ahead.

Take my fellow passenger seated just ahead of me. She is a tangle of incessant, uncomfortable talking with a hint of psychosis and a love of ‘bad words’. She was escorted onto the plane by the kindest, most compassionate man who reframed my whole experience of her. And then the Purser, apparently the Boss, came and patiently welcomed her like royalty. I had to wonder who she could possibly be until I heard her talking to Jesus and I knew. She is a child of the King, in an interesting package but a child nonetheless.

It’s then that I connected my dots. I was afraid of her at first, especially since I had just appropriated all her pillows, but the kindness of others opened me to the gift, to their power of connection. Their kindness calmed her and me.

It’s a part of why I travel. Loving others will transform the world, one connection at a time.

Anne

“Love difficult people. You are one of them”