Things I learned along the way…to Lancaster and back.

This past weekend, I traveled back to Virginia to a family reunion on the farm. 

My sister, Jenny, and I squeezed in a side trip to the Amish country of Pennsylvania - something I've always wanted to do.

And along the way, I learned a lot of things.

I learned that Dulles Airport seems to be the only place in the Northern Virginia /Maryland/Southern Pennsy- lvania area that believes in toilet seat covers in their public restrooms.

I learned that those super high powered air-blower hand driers they have in some public restrooms really show your age as they blow your skin back and forth so that it flaps this way and that.

I learned that even young Amish men jump in their hot rods to go out on a Saturday night on the town.

I learned that God’s light shines even in the darkest places.

I learned that “it only goes downhill from here.”  

And that that is not necessarily a bad thing!  

Sometimes downhill can be beautiful.

I learned that it is still true that it is the young and innocent who are fearless.

 I learned that not all fungus is ugly.

I learned that Los Angeles doesn’t hold the patent on crazies!

I learned that even though the Amish are quiet and 'plain' people, they are not immune to  curiosity and a little traffic  rubber-necking.

I was surprised to learn that you can accidentally catch your reflection when photographing a horse’s eye.

I've learned that maybe my ex is not after all the greatest shoveler of shit on God’s green earth after all!  

These mule drawn Amish manure spreaders have it down to a science.

I learned that there is nothing like a family reunion to remind you that there are always a few nuts up the family tree.

But on a more serious note, I found on what should have been a simple flight back home, that often when I think that the kinks in my plan make for the worst day ever, there is always someone who is having a much worse day than me.

It should have been a simple trip home - a straight forward trip from the easy-access Dulles International Airport in northern VA to the equally easily-accessible John Wayne International Airport in southern CA.

Logistics necessitated that I arrive at the airport three hours earlier than need be, so I had a long, long wait for the plane.  But on the up-side, I had seat 9-C.  An aisle seat near the front of the plane!  Fantastic!  

Wrong.  It turned out to be a window seat.  Not usually a bad thing.  Only this meant that it was the third of only three seats in a row, meaning it was a very small, ‘puddle jumper’ plane – not a good thing on what the weatherman assured would be a blustery, turbulent day.  But that's okay.  It could be worse....

And instead of being a direct flight, the ticketing agent  said it was no longer a direct flight, but that I would have to  transfer in  Houston. 

Again, I decided to just accept it patiently and go with the flow. Two flights wasn't that much worse than one.  At least I’d only have a 40 minute lay over  Just enough time to get on the next plane - no interminable waiting.

But arriving at terminal B in Houston, I found my connecting flight would be leaving from terminal C. I set off on the miles-long race to get to the next terminal before my flight left.

I cursed myself for letting the check in assistant in Virginia talk me into checking my suitcase instead of carrying it on.  I thought it would make things easier since I was having to change flights.

It didn't   At least with the suitcase in tow, I’d have had a caddy to carry my one-ton computer bag which now cut painfully into my shoulder!

Then upon reaching the area where I should have caught the train to the next terminal, I found myself being re-directed to the far end of the terminal.  

The only explanation was that the train was down and we’d have to back track to get to where we were going.

I was carried along in a torrent of grumbling, griping, and put-out passengers.  And the farther I had to walk with these grouches, I found that the more like them I became.

I would never get there in time to make my connecting flight…!

At our destination, our worst worries were confirmed.  A frazzled woman with a walkie-talkie and a clipboard directed us toward the end of a mile wide line that wound ahead out of sight.

I hefted my unbearably heavy computer bag, certain it had doubled in weight, and joined the grumbling and watch-checking.

Now this was the last straw.  The long wait at the beginning….  

Being told I wouldn’t be on a direct flight…  

Then having to lug that darned bag... and walk so far!  

And now this mile-long line in which to wait!

The crowd got louder and more unruly the longer we had to wait.  Finally, the rather self-important businessman in line behind me yelled at the woman with the walkie-talkie.

“What’s the hold up?  I have important things to do!”

“Can you believe this?!” the man ahead of me snapped.  “This is going to just ruin my day.  I don’t have time for this!”

When they both turned on the poor woman with the walkie-talkie, and were joined by another and then another complainer, she sighed helplessly.

“Yeah!  What’s going on?” snapped another man.

“The train is down and they are rerouting everyone to catch a shuttle bus.”

“Oh my god!” the woman beside me sighed in exasperation. “If this doesn’t just take the cake.  Don’t they know we have places to be?!”

Okay, maybe I didn’t have a meeting to get to or urgent business to conduct, but I was becoming increasingly irritated too.  I hefted my heavy bag onto my other shoulder and sighed loudly and joined in the complaining.

At this point, the woman with the squawking walkie-talkie spoke.  She covered the microphone on her walkie-talkie and looked both ways before admitting, “The train is down because there has been an accident…”

“Well, how long ‘til they get it going again?  This is really inconvenient,” a man in a rumpled suit complained.

Tears sprung into the woman’s eyes as she continued.  “There was an accident, and one of our people was killed.  Another is in critical condition and probably won’t make it.”

She wiped at her eyes and said, “They can’t get the train back up and running until they are done investigating…”

The grumbling, whining and complaints stopped all at once.  The lynch mob of just a moment earlier turned into a hundred penitent individuals, looking at the ground in shame and shuffling their feet in embarrassment.

Suddenly the inconvenience of having to take not just one, but two flights didn’t seem so terrible.

Somehow, the unbearably heavy computer bag didn’t seem to cut into my shoulder in the least.

And having to stand in line with hundreds of angry, grumbling strangers for an hour to catch a shuttle bus to a flight that had long since flown didn’t seem so horrible after all.

I thought of those families who had lost loved ones today.  

I am sure that any one of them would have stood barefoot on broken glass for an hour to catch a cramped little shuttle bus rather than have to go to bed at the end of that day knowing they’d never see their loved one again.

I hung my head in shame too.  I learned that my problems are nothing compared to so many others.  A lesson I find I need to keep learning and relearning with time.

Today I pray once again for those who lost loved ones that day when all I lost was a few unimportant hours of my time.


The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
    and patience is better than pride.
⁹ Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
    for anger resides in the lap of fools.
                                             -- Ecclesiastes 7:8-9

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds,³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
                                              -- James 1:2-4


Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
                                               -- Colossians 3:12-14