A year ago last Advent, I began an alphabet blog series—moving through the church year with alphabetical themes.
This second week of Advent, one year later, we are now to Z which is for zigzag.
This has been a zigzag year with the very best of the very best, to some of the very lowest of the lows.
I’ve traveled to amazing places, had dear visits with loved ones, seen amazing art, and had more than enough lolling time.
My mother and several close friends died this year; I experienced a hurricane and a derecho; I’ve had several friends going through difficult times.
I’m still zigzagging through what it means to be retired. After working since I was fourteen, being able to choose whether or not I work has been a good thing. I have found what will be my church home, when I’m not working, and that feels very, very good.
As I write this, on my last flight of the year, through a series of flight zigzags through delays and cancellations, my bag is on its way to LAX, and I may or not be on my way to SFO to catch a red eye to Houston.
I came to Oregon for the joyful celebration of my grandson’s 12th birthday. I zigzagged on the way to Bend pausing for a long layover in San Francisco to see an exhibit of one of my favorite artists —Mary Cassatt at Work. There was a tsunami warning while I was viewing the extraordinary art; I seemed to be the only one concerned.
In Oregon, I spent one evening at a high school band concert proudly listening to my older grandson play. I watched kid-ish movies, ate delicious family meals, including birthday cinnamon rolls and cake, and was surrounded in family love.
To end the trip, I got to enjoy the first snow of the season.
To cap off a week full of joy, I ended with a major zigzag home.
I’d already changed my flight back to Houston once in order to stay an additional two extra days (yay! retirement) so I could go to Austin’s concert. As my daughter in law and I prepared to go to the tiny Redmond airport, I was notified of a flight delay because of high winds in San Francisco (now tornadoes in SFO!). After lots of research, I decided to change flights, again, and go through Los Angeles.
As I waited to board my plane to Los Angeles, it had one, then another delay, and was scheduled to depart too late for me to get on any flight home to Houston tonight.
I changed back to my original, still delayed flight, through San Francisco since it appeared to leave sooner.
Wouldn’t you know it? The flight to Los Angeles had a miracle of recovery, and left much earlier than expected, with my bag safely on board.
Now in San Francisco, having missed my connection, I snagged a seat on the red eye to Houston, where I hoped my bag would be waiting for me.
These final zigzags were all of my own choosing. I rarely check a bag, but this time I did. I rarely rebook flights because there is never certainty that the flight that appears better will actually be dependable. But this time I did.
This is the point in my blog that I usually write something very spiritual and inspiring. This is the time where God gives me something to write that ties my thoughts together with a God-moment.
In the zigzag of this year, I am left with no words of wisdom.
It is Advent, after all. So I’ll just sit a spell. And pause. And wait. And know God With.
House of Grace 