Broke Down on Thanksgiving

The one day a year families from near and afar gather together for reflection, food and laughter!

Our plans were fully inteded to do so as we headed out early Thanksgiving morning, my husband one way and I another to spend time with each of our families. As our journey’s begun, my husband got broke down. A half hour to board my last flight, I couldn’t bear to leave my husband stranded so I turned around!

As  everyone was carving turkey’s and toasting in good spirit, we were scrambling to figure out how we were going to get through this. With no tow trucks in service on Thanksgiving day to tow 300 miles, we decided to call it a night and not drain our spirit.

The next day we arise and a tow truck was available that morning to our surprise! After 300 miles and the broke down ordeal, I reflect on the experience that was not at all ideal! Although it was stressful and dreadful to be stranded, we are thankful that we were not truly left empty handed. While we are grateful for all we needed to call upon, unfortunately a couple left us with a frown:(

First off, a HUGE THANKS to AAA for calming our fears with the first question on the phone call before anything else, “Are you safe?” We appreciated the sincere apology for the concerted effort to find a tow on Thanksgiving night!

Then to Delta, although the experience was not as smooth, I was able to get on a return flight without to much askew. Life lesson learned at the airport — all the Delta Help desks in the terminal with the staff behind the counter, are not all what I hoped for! I arrived at the counter and advised the agent that I needed to get on a flight back home to get to my husband who was broke down — ‘sorry can’t assist you, please use the phone to adjust your flight’ … so much for my initial plight!

Safely landed at my return destination and off I was to Hertz. Fortunately with my Tmobile account, I was able to get Delta inflight wifi at no cost and book a Hertz rental which is a partner with AAA that offered 30% off. It was Thanksgiving and the Gold counter at Hertz was closed so I got dropped at the main building. The agent looked up my rental and directed me to go outside and turn to the left and pick a car. At first it was excitement that I got a choice but after getting outside and turning left, which was opposite the Gold lot, my bubble quickly burst. I chose a car out of the three on the lot however being a Gold member I thought I would double check — the response was not so golden but at least I had wheels to press on. The short of the story with Hertz, the rental agreement did not include the AAA CDP discount that my confirmed itinerary clearly stated. After dealing with customer service and manager at the rental location, because I drove off the lot, it was basically my fault!

The silver lining, we made it through and gained a higher appreciation for our AAA roadside assistance and premier membership. And learned that no matter what your situation is, the big leaders in the service industry, Delta and Hertz don’t care — sorry honey, we just want your money!

Raw Truth

God is always present in our lives!  The raw and real truth, He is molding and shaping every fiber of our being into the ultimate destiny. Moments in life sometimes never make sense nor do we understand why unfortunate situations impact our lives. But keep in mind God has a master plan and everyone who comes and goes through our life are part of the overarching seasons that make-up our destiny.

We need to quit being discouraged and stop looking back — move forward and thank God for the good, bad and the ugly. Know that whatever changes in our life, it is for the greater good and when one door closes, another one opens but it is our choice to walk through it or remain paralyzed in the situation. Whether we experience the loss of a loved one or a job, it is human nature to feel knocked down but time will heal and the blessing of that door closing will start to shine through. Trust in God, keep the door to the past closed and focus on what is in the present.

And life may weigh heavy at times but we can’t let it bog us down, pause and give the madness to God — there’s no one or thing in life that can give us the strength or the courage to remain steadfast. Resting our souls in the nest of God will allow our wings to open up, fly and soar above and beyond greatness. Only with God are all things possible — know it, believe it and live it!

Matthew 19:26 … “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

New Normal

Yesterday is in the past and tomorrow is the present … the gift we are graciously blessed with each and everyday! But how often do we hold on to the past and not let the gift of tomorrow into our hearts? More often than not, especially when something tragic strikes, it is very hard to walk away and leave it behind. Those memories tend to “rewind” in our minds each and everyday of the blessed new day we awake into.

Harder said than done, but take the plunge into the new normal, stop playing rewind and remain in the moment with thoughts playing forward. Refrain from pause and looking back into the past — life will never be the same and the moments of yesterday can never come to be again. By resisting the acceptance of the “new normal” in life only causes the pain and suffering growing inside. Thus preventing from walking through the door that is now open to greater and bigger things because the door to the past has not been fully closed.

There’s no denying that there is good, bad and ugly  in this world but we need these journeys through the seasons to allow our soul to nurture and grow — God will never put in our path anything that we can not handle for it is with Him that we are able to transcend through life situations because He planted the power within us.

Luke 10: 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Take each golden day and live the new normal, never let the light dim when darkness gives way but turn to God who is most powerful and He will protect the path ahead each and everyday!

Disturbing

With the world chaos and bullying rampage in our backyard, there is no denying that there is a lack of God’s presence in the lives who are living in darkness.

When things get tough, only God can lift us up and out of the trenches that got us there. Everyone has a “free will” and God does not stand in the way of our path — yet it is disturbing when blame is pointed at God not at Satan.  Through adversity is when Satan strikes the most and when the cry for help is not directed at God to redirect the path out of the wilderness, then there is no one to blame than the unbeliever who does not have the faith in God but rather remain in destruction.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Never be discouraged when someone within your circle tries to rob you of your happiness and joy in this world. Their hateful remarks or actions run deep within their own conscious and have nothing to do with you or who you are. If you are found in a harmful situation, immediately call upon the Lord to rebuke the evilness within arms way. Remember at all times, God is with you!

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

Too Close For Comfort

For the majority who travel expect safety and comfort, especially when paying a company to get you from point A to point B! Safety is definitely at top of minds when it comes to airports and flying, but comfort in the air has lost its fuel.

I was thoroughly excited about my trip and looking forward to a few days away. The morning started off with a slight drizzle but was able to make it to the airport without getting drenched.  Then to my dismay, the plane would be boarded by air stairs, not the usual way through the jet-bridge! So far not so good from a comfort standpoint, majority of the peeps boarding are now wet and packed into an ER4 plane.

For those who haven’t experienced a flight on an ER4, the capacity of the plane sits 50 with one seat on the left and two on the right with a slim aisle separating down the middle. The passengers lucky enough to get the solo seat take in a some comfort but those on the adjacent side (if not flying with a companion) are squeezed into a tight seat and sharing the middle armrest. This is one air plane I would highly recommend aiming for a window seat because with an aisle seat you don’t have much room other than to remain poised forward; leaning to right infringes on the person next to you and leaning to the left well you are privy to getting hit by anyone passing through the aisle. Oh, and if there’s anyone who has to bend their body to walk through the plane to their seat, yep you guessed it, their knees are pressed up against the seat in front of them!

Traveling by air has changed quite a bit in the last ten years, mainly security. However, due to the ups and downs of the economy, not only are passengers paying for a seat but also faced with additional luggage charges, and other elements that were once a privilege.

I dream for the day that the airlines restructure their operations to welcome more back to the airways and bring back the comfort to all ticket levels!