This summer had me taking a few flights to
destinations to be with family for special occasions. When booking my flight
for a niece’s wedding I noticed the day I was to return would be my anniversary
date for entrusting myself to the Blessed Mother. I had full confidence in
booking on that day, knowing she would be treating me to blessed travel.
My departure flight was to leave on a Thursday
evening having me fly through the night with one connection to change planes in
Phoenix. My son-in-law was meeting me there to join my next flight so to surprise
my daughter by arriving a day earlier than planned. We were going to surprise
my husband too, not telling him he would be picking up both of us.
The departure flight was delayed an hour before
loading. There had been a maintenance issue which needed paperwork signed. When
we loaded the plane, we sat awaiting the FAX for clearance for another hour. As
the time ticked on, I realized I would not make my connection. My son-in-law
was already in the air heading toward Phoenix. I texted my husband and told him
I would be detained and that he was still to go to the airport and pick up our
son-in-law the next morning. After I sent the text message I began to cry. Big
crocodile tears rolled down my cheeks. I tried to hold it in as a young man sat
next to me and I didn’t want him to think I had “lost it”…which I had. I felt
great anxiety not knowing what awaited me in Phoenix. Was I to be sleeping in
the airport? The airline was not being very comforting in their announcements,
and did not say what would happen if anyone missed their connections. In my
desperate state, I prayed more out of a sense of duty - acknowledging God’s
power, admitting I knew He would take care of me, but I found no real sense of
comfort in Blessed Mom’s arms. I tried to get some rest but an uncertainty
covered me like a blanket. When the plane landed we were told to go to the
airline’s service desk. When I approached the clerk she asked my final
destination. I told her, and she looked through a stack of vouchers and found
mine. She handed me a set that included a voucher for a hotel room, breakfast,
and plane ticket for the following morning. She told me to contact the phone
number on the hotel ticket for their shuttle to pick me up. I headed to baggage
claim thinking I would be getting my bag, but found out it was kept to be sent
to the final destination. When I called the shuttle they told me to look for
the van with the big “cookie” on the side. Once I made it to the hotel at
1:30AM, I was greeted with a fresh baked cookie and a room key. I had to smile
and sincerely thank God for His loving care, especially seen through the cookies.
My fears started to subside as I drifted off to sleep. The next morning I
enjoyed a free breakfast buffet, then a shuttle ride to the airport where I had
an uneventful flight and was greeted by my son-in-law and my suitcase!
My return flight and travel was indeed blessed
like I had assumed it would be. So what I learned in this event is I only trust
when I think I “deserve” a blessed event, like an anniversary date, or a holy
day. This is why I need my entrustment to Blessed Mom so she can be my daily
trust, especially during times when my plans are changed, and my schedule is
altered. She has to be my belief that in all events God is taking good care of
me - even when there are no cookie surprises, He is still managing my affairs
with His love and His mercy!
"If we are surprised that God foils our plans and
leads us down a different road than the one we imagined, let us recall that it
was the same in the life of the Blessed Mother. Mary also thought of her
sanctity, her road, her mission differently. The one who gave up motherhood was
called to an exceptional and unique motherhood. This call foiled all of her
plans."
Tadeusz Dajczer, The Gift of Faith, 3rd. ed. (Ft. Collins, CO: IAMF, 2012), 116.
"In every situation Mary realized the will of God
with full inner peace, because she accepted everything with childlike trust."
S.C. Biela, In The Arms of Mary, 2nd. ed, rev. (Ft.Collins, CO: IAMF, 2005), 128.
