The World Could End

At 8:50 a.m., Saturday, January 1, 2011, we pulled out of the driveway in Indiana, headed for the airport. My flight was set for 10:50 a.m. Seems like I always stay in Indiana just long enough to make me reluctant to go back to Utah.

We reached the airport at 10:20 a.m. (Thirty minutes to take-off!) I checked my luggage very quickly by cutting in front of quite a few people...so sorry! Then, the security lines looked longer than ever. When the TSA official looked at my documents, I tried to hurry her along by saying, "I'm cutting it a bit short!"

She answered, "You think? Don't you think the plane has left already?"

What?!? With a closer look, I realized that my flight was at 10:05 a.m., not 10:50 a.m.!!! In my skirt, I raced through security and down the pedways. Finally, I rushed up to the gate, and (answer to prayer) the flight had been delayed. Wow!

I got on the plane, albeit huffing & puffing quite a bit. I collected quite a few strange looks from fellow passengers thinking "Are we honestly holding the whole plane for this one passenger," or "We'll never get off the ground with all of her luggage. And that's just carry-ons!!!" Well, at least that was what I was imagining. Lucky for all of them, we did make it off the ground...because my real luggage was not on that plane. Otherwise, we may not have made it up in the air, honestly. :-)

Well, that meant that when I got to SLC, my luggage would not arrive for another 4 hours or so.

So, I had to go back down to the airport to retrieve it later Saturday night.

But on the way home, I could not help but think to myself, "The world could end."

[I learned this phrase as one people in Grenada say to mean "I am so completely satisfied right now that the world could end."]

My goal this year was to worship Christ.

He is so good. I am thankful for His birth, and His death that this guaranteed.

I am thankful that He came to save me from my sins.

I am thankful for His grace and His mercy.

And, I praise Him for all of these.

In addition to this, I am thankful for the people He has put into my life. Each one is not just a family member or a friend, but they are examples of God's grace to me. And I praise Him for each one.

I spent the last two weeks with family and friends, old and new.

We shared many good times and lots of laughter. It was SO good to see my family again, renew old friendships and meet several new friends.

Also, we ate lots of good food!!! I have to admit, I was looking forward to that part of Christmas. In Utah, the "state food" is "homemade," I think. We have very good food, but there are few classics...outside of funeral potatoes and green jello. Even the restaurants with good food have no atmosphere. So, a new experience at the Industrial Revolution,

an old classic, Maggiano's,

a relative new favorite, Santoyo's,

Cinnamon Rolls (not with chocolate sauce),

eight people crammed around a small kitchen table eating "snack-y" foods,

and Christmas omelets (without the eggs, please) were an incredible part of the trip.

[Right about now, my 2nd graders would say,

"Miss Leslie, Do you see a pattern developing here?

These ALL have to do with food!" I know, I know.]

The best part about the food, though, was sharing it with so many wonderful people. I think food makes fellowship so much better, and fellowship does the same for food.

And so, as I look back on this Christmas, I cannot help but say,

"The world could end."