The last two times I’ve planned a trip to Iceland, my home has flooded.
Which is why, when I begin my Harvey mini-Sabbatical this weekend, I am not traveling to Iceland. I will fly through Iceland and visit islands off the coast of Iceland. However, the Faroe Islands belong to Denmark. Not Iceland. My mini-sabbatical is to Denmark. Let me make that perfectly clear.
Right after I became a priest, I learned that vacations needed to be really away or they weren’t vacations. My first big trip as a priest was to a place that I had always wanted to visit since I’d read One Morning in Maine as a little girl. I was so excited to finally visit Maine. I went to Laura Ashley in the Galleria and bought a new wardrobe. I packed a huge suitcase, nicknamed the monster bag, full of an array of coordinated outfits including scarves, hats and shoes.
That was twenty five years ago. As I’ve traveled from places as close as Camp Allen to as faraway as Turkey, my bags have gotten smaller and smaller. It’s easier to travel with less stuff.
The suitcase I will be taking on my trip Not to Iceland is a carry on bag. In fact, the only time I check my bag now is when I’m traveling with my grandsons. I definitely need two free hands to make sure I get us all to where we are supposed to be going. And, oh yes, I have had a checked bag my last two trips home from Iceland because I had so much yarn to bring back (after all, I’d lost most of my yarn in the Tax Day Flood and the Harvey Flood).
It’s not lost on me that I will return home near the anniversary of the Harvey Flood. Truth is that the Tax Day Flood and Harvey Flood washed away so much of my stuff that my life is lighter than it’s ever been.
More space for God to fill those empty drawers, shelves, and smaller suitcases.
House of Grace 
Happy Travels… relax and we will see you soon
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