Traveling Home

It takes two days go get home from the Faroes to Houston.

The first leg was a drive from Torshavn to Vagur early in the morning through high winds and rain. The route was via two tunnels through mountains and another under the sea.

We flew from the Faroes to Copenhagen where we had a seven hour layover. We took a taxi from the airport into town to have coffee with a woman who had been our barista at our favorite coffee spot in the Faroes.

She is now a medical student in Copenhagen, and we’d kept up with her between trips. We had an extraordinarily joyful reunion. How unlikely that three women aged 20 to 80 from Georgia, Texas, and the Faroes who met sipping coffee in Brell Cafe would be friends?

Returning to the Copenhagen airport, I had a first at security. Who knew that anointing oil in a carryon would set off alarms? The agent looked curiously at the silver stock, and I signed a cross on my forehead and said, “Priest. Healing oil. Prayers.” After conferring with another agent, she gave it back to me with a shrug.

A walk through the airport included a stop at the Lego shop. Denmark is the home of Legos, and the airport has a shop in at least every terminal. Alas! None of the Lego kits on my grandson’s list was available.

My very best friend was in a serious car wreck several years ago. She has had amazing healing, but cannot walk long distance without great pain. We arranged travel assistance at the Frankfurt airport, and two carts whizzed us from our gate to the front door of our airport hotel.

After a good night’s rest at the airport hotel, we are preparing to board our flight to Houston in a couple of hours.

The first journey of my pilgrimage to retirement is nearly done.

I found spaces to not hurry, good nights’ rest, and time to knit and water color everyday. I rediscovered how much I enjoy walking in beautiful places where it’s not hot. I loved the surprises of ever changing sky and beauty around every corner. I found pauses to read and pray.