Sunrises and Lightning...Blessings and Difficulties

One of my goals this summer was to wake up early and watch the sunrise. Several of you may know how much I love my sleep and therefore never quite had enough motivation to wake up so early. But God knows exactly what we need and when we need it. I got to watch the sunrise the past two mornings. Both were amazingly beautiful and incredibly different from each other. The first one I was able to enjoy with Jalina on the way to the train station in Virginia. Before we could even see the sun, I noticed the gentle pink lining on the small clouds on the horizon. The sun was bright red when it came up and cast gorgeous soft colors of pink, blue and purple across the sky. Jalina and I ooed and awed at it all the way to the train station. The second sunrise I had the privilege of watching was when our plane was just about to approach Iceland. Very much unlike the first one, this one was a ribbon of very vivid colors that were so distinct that it reminded me of something a child might draw with crayons. The colors faded from red to pink to orange to yellow to green to light blue to purple and right into the dark night sky with the stars still shining brightly. 

Even in the middle of the stress and loneliness of traveling on my own, those sunrises and even the purple lightning that flashed brilliantly through the sky) which was the cause of our plane’s delay out of Washington D.C.), always cause me to stop and remember how mighty, powerful and beautiful God is…and how much He loves me. 

There were a few bumps in the road such as my zipper breaking on one of my bags as I was boarding my first train, almost making my taxi driver get a ticket because it took longer than I anticipated to navigate the (huge) Washington D.C. train station, having to check my carry-on because it was too big, the delayed flight, and only a couple hours of sleep between the night before and the pathetic attempt of plane sleep. But there were little blessings that perked me up a bit too. The gentleman who helped me on and off the train with my heavy bags. The taxi driver from Afghanistan, who despite the fact I almost caused him to get a ticket, was very friendly and chatted with me all the way to the airport. The Icelandic Air employee who gave me a huge break in cost when I was told I would have to check my carry-on bag. The man I sat next to on one of the flights who wanted to talk to me every moment I was awake and then held up the line for me so I could get to my connecting flight on time. The man who helped me get my luggage to a table after I bought coffee and realized I had no free hands to carry it anywhere.  

So I have made it safely to Capernwray House and will arrive at the school tomorrow. I am spending time with several of my new friends in the lounge at the Bed and Breakfast, students who are also going to Capernwray. We have spent the better part of the afternoon and evening with each other talking, eating and watching British TV.