peace amidst chaos.

do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. hebrews 13:2

If you are new to my blog, you may not know that in a little over a month, my husband and I are going to move a few hundred miles away from Michigan to Connecticut. In some ways, it still doesn’t feel real. We made our final visit there this weekend before moving in the middle of June.

There are so many emotions attached to this move. Uncertainty, excitement, loss, joy, and, a little word I’ve claimed and chosen for this year…peace. Uprooting and moving across country is certainly not a small decision. But I can say that through every step of this process, I have felt and witnessed much peace.

I think I crossed paths with a few angels this weekend in Connecticut (and I know I live among many in Michigan as well.) Jeremy and I are taken care of, protected and extravagantly loved, wherever our feet may tread.

However, this weekend was like a “mega peace’ and “it will be ok” time. It started when every flight we had was cancelled or delayed. We arrived 12 hours later than we had originally planned (2 am instead of 2pm) and our luggage was lost. But during our unexpected 5 hour layover in Detroit, one of my “mamas” and mentors graciously picked us up and treated us to dinner and refuge at Target J. And when we finally arrived at the lovely couple’s home we were staying at, I was greeted with warm and comforting hugs, a cold glass of water and a toothbrush. Peace.

Then when we went to Wal Mart the next morning to buy clothes and travel size face wash/deodorant (our bag was still in Detroit…), it was as if every customer and employee went out of their way to smile and make me feel welcome. An elderly man even winked at me (not in a creepy way, either). Every where we went, people held doors open for me, waved and extended such a spirit of hospitality and grace.

When I told some of the church members that everyone is so nice on the East Coast, they either gasped or laughed. Apparently this is not the norm.

But I believe I was surrounded by angels this weekend, whispering “welcome, you’re gonna be fine.” Even though the four lane highways raise your blood pressure, you may feel like a stranger, and your friends who have become your family won’t be right around the corner, this will be a place of peace.

edit// i typed this thousands of feet in the air on our second to last airplane to get home this weekend. after writing this, our last flight was cancelled and we ended up driving home from Cleveland (5 hours) to arrive home at 4 am. it's as if i typed this without knowing that i would really need a peaceful perspective just a few minutes later... SO thankful to be home. and not dealing anymore with United Airlines for quite some time... :)

 

♥erica