ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

well, our travel day got off to an eventful start.

do we ever do anything drama free? simple? easy? uncomplicated?
umm. no.
trouble seems to follow us.
today, was no exception.

our flight to SF was delayed by 3 hours. i nearly had my nexus pass revoked and was almost fined $300 at customs because i forgot to declare my rice cakes.

is it any wonder that the primary issue i work on in therapy is de-bunking the myth that "NOTHING is every easy" and "WHY is EVERYTHING ALWAYS complicated?" and "EVERYTHING ALWAYS goes wrong." sure it feels like that a lot of the time but those are totally self-defeating mantras and they are not true. but, honestly, how do i overcome those lies when i keep running in to roadblocks that reinforce them?!

i started writing this post in the airport but decided to wait to publish it until we had actually arrived safe and sound in our hotel room. aside from the fear that something else would happen, i had serious doubts that i would be still be of sound mind by the time we landed at our hotel...even if no other unforeseen incident occurred.

but sure enough, we encountered 2 more slight hiccups before we safely landed in SF.

at the boarding gate, just as the flight attendant was checking our tickets avery turned around and shrieked, 

"oh no, mom, did you remember to bring the GUN?"
i kid you not.
time stood still.
the word "gun" hung heavy in the air; 
it shrilly reverberated in my ears like an announcement on a cheap PA system
i froze. mouth gaping. heart pounding in my ears.

"avery! i don't think i heard you... but don't repeat yourself!" i squawked... a deer caught in headlights.

"i meant GUM! GUM! Did you remember to get GUM?" she whispered, sparkling eyes wide with surprise

this flight has aged me exponentially.

we boarded the plane.
i had just sunk into my seat and was in the process of heaving a sigh of relief...when avery suddenly shrieked,

"MOM, MOM, i'm getting a nose bleed."

sure enough.
nice gusher.

the rest of the flight was without incident. 
or at least, i think so.
if there was - i didn't see it.
i closed my eyes and didn't open them again until we landed.
ignorance is bliss.


even with all of the hiccups, i am grateful for this flight. somehow amidst all the delays, complications and stress of it, it is a blessed flight. blessed? yes. the cost of this flight was covered by air miles donated by a good friend. he also has lyme, must travel out of country for treatment but still donated his air miles to us. and a young family, used air miles to secure and pay for a car rental for us. i won't lie, we held our breath until we had secured the keys to the vehicle... and, most important of all, it was a massive car boat. car boat rentals are as legendary and as big a part of our SF trips as DR H and In-n-Out Burger are. we were thrilled it was a true to form car boat. the kids fit perfectly in the trunk. graham and i enjoyed a nice, quiet ride to the hotel. kidding. 

we are forever being amazed at how folks allow God to use them to bless us. it is humbling. this road is hard, painful, challenging and yes, a lot of the time, it feels like EVERYTHING is going wrong and this nightmare will NEVER end...yet, blessings are undeniably intertwined through out this road we travel. they serve as the shimmering beacons of light...and when i focus on the hope, faith and love they represent, their sheen outshines the darkest parts of this journey. yes, the blessings are many. THAT is truth. my heart believes that. it is the journey from heart to mind that can get a little tricky - the roadblocks along the way can sidetrack me from the standing in the truth.

speaking of roadblocks...one last thing. 
this has nothing to do with air travel
but it has everything to do with delays and complications. 

the day before we left for SF, we received a phone call from the hospital where parker's MRI is scheduled for dec 11. the hospital was calling to CANCEL the appointment because they had a flood.

i kid you not.

no back up plan was offered. the situation is complicated as this is the only hospital that does MRI's on children - aside from children's hospital - which we do not feel is a safe option. 

this means we may now need to incur the cost of paying for a private MRI.

it is ridiculous. parker's MRI is marked as URGENT. suspected encephalitis is on the requisition. 

please be in prayer for this.
even as we sat in the airport awaiting our flight, we were making phone calls to try and get this sorted out.
it shouldn't be so hard.
really.

we had such trouble securing this MRI appointment to begin with
and then a flood happens?
what are the chances?
for some reason, God continues to allow us to walk the road less travelled. 
at the moment, my mind is semi-panicked over the details
but i choose to believe God will work this one out too.
after all,
he ALWAYS does