When I purchased my flight home to
Cincinnati for Christmas, I had avoided airports like Chicago where winter
weather might cause delays. Despite my
strategic planning, Mother Nature affected my travels anyway. My flight out of El Paso on Wednesday,
December 19th, was delayed due to high winds throughout the
Southwest. Hopeful that I’d still make
the connection in Dallas, I called my parents from the departure lounge to
confirm my airport pick-up for 9:05pm EST.
My Dad did his usual joke: “Welllll, maybe if we’re not busy. If we can’t make it, you know how to get a
cab, and we’ll see you in the morning.”
When we landed in Dallas, I turned
on my phone to see how tight the layover would be because of the late
take-off. I had only 25 minutes, so I
rushed off of the plane and asked the airline rep, “Where is the 5:55pm
Cincinnati flight taking off?” She
scanned her list. “Oh, you’re going out at 8:30 now,” she said. “You’ll be at
gate B5.” Understanding that the delay
would give me a few hours to kill, I exhaled and walked leisurely toward the B
terminal.
As I walked, I happened to glance
up at one of the digital boards listing departures. My eyebrows crinkled in confusion as I saw
the 5:55 Cincinnati flight still listed as on time out of B27. Below it was another Cincinnati flight – at
8:30pm, going out of B5. I realized that
when the agent had told me, “You’re going at 8:30,” she had really meant just
me. Although the airline had already bumped me from the 5:55 flight, I took off
running for Gate B27 just in case there was any way I would still be allowed to
board. I arrived at 5:45 pm to closed
doors. A few other late-comers and I
were issued boarding passes for the 8:30 flight.
I tried to embrace the delay, but
it kept getting longer. The 8:30 flight became a 9:25 flight. Then, it was 9:45. Then 10:30.
Then 11:30. The faces of the other passengers waiting told me that they were
as frustrated as I was. Finally, the
departure time on the board switched from 11:30 pm to 7:30 am. An announcement confirmed that we’d be
spending the night in Dallas. I
sighed. Due to all of the flight
cancellations and delays in the region that day, the hotels near the airport
were all full, so we had to go to one 25 minutes away.
It was a cold night, and the hotel
shuttle swayed back and forth in the strong winds. Tired and wedged between two strangers, I
converted into full-fledged Grumpy Tracy.
I got mad at whoever had bumped me from the first flight and thought
helplessly, “I should have been in Cincinnati 4 hours ago!”
Thankfully, a few hours of sleep
and a shower did my mood some good. In
the morning, my fellow travelers and I filed out into the hotel lobby, most of
us wearing the same clothes from the night before. I smiled a little; the faces of my fellow
travelers were becoming familiar. We
mumbled good mornings and piled into the 6 am shuttle back to the airport. As we gathered at the gate, people were
striking up conversations and laughing together. We realized that many of us were born and
raised in Cincinnati, but our lives had taken us far from home to the Southwest
or West Coast. Now we were all just
trying to make it home for the holidays.
We began to feel like a little team, united by our life experience and
our current predicament.
The predicament wasn’t over yet. After boarding, sitting, and then deplaning
due to an aircraft malfunction, we finally boarded the plane that would
actually take us home. Cheers erupted as
we lifted off.
The whole thing could have been
miserable. But it wasn’t. Despite all of the delays, I was happy to be
surrounded by such a great group of human beings. We shared about our lives, our experiences,
and our faith. I couldn’t believe that
we’d been strangers just thirteen hours before.
There was Heather, a thirty-two
year old who got a masters degree in Architecture and now works in medical design in
California. She was warm, conscientious, intelligent, and easy to talk to right
away. I was fascinated as she shared
about her job. We found out that she is
passionate about improved health care for all.
We connected on how going home is like stepping into a time capsule; both
of our childhood bedrooms are pretty much intact. We talked about the joys and struggles of
choosing a life path that is “different” and takes you far from home but
blesses you with new experiences.
Our flight attendant was Evan. His hilarious, friendly and loving way was a
bright spot on our trip. As we boarded
(finally) he said, “I like you guys! You
guys are jolly!” He kept us laughing
through the safety briefing. It showed that
he really loves his job. Then, when he
heard that I work at the U.S.-Mexico border, he told us that his roommate is a
Mexican girl who is separated from family members that have been deported. We lamented the struggles that migrants face;
we spoke of a desire that every human being would be treated with respect and
equality. He was authentic, funny, and
caring.
Across the aisle was Eric who just
graduated with his Masters in Theology and Intercultural Studies. He worked for an organization that fights
human trafficking while in grad school and is now a youth pastor in Los Angeles. His energy was contagious. He is one of those people that can seemingly
get along with anyone because he looks for the good in everyone. We talked about social justice and faith in
action. It was easy to see that he is
bright, passionate, kind, and unafraid to live exactly what he believes.
As we landed in Cincinnati, we were
all aware that something special had happened in our group. We gathered our luggage, awaited our rides,
and bid each other farewell. My luggage
didn’t show up on the carriage, so I waited for that as Eric waited for his mom
to arrive. We talked over the unexpected
blessings of the last sixteen hours and smiled in gratitude. When his mom came in she said, “Is this one
of your new friends you told me about?”
We all hugged and wished each other a blessed Christmas, and they were
on their way.
I was tired but happy. Is this not
what Christmas is all about? I thought about Mary and Joseph and their long journey
to Bethlehem. They traveled long and
far, and who knows what they thought when they saw that their delivery room
would be a stable. It was dark, dirty,
and smelly – and yet, there was the Son of God.
Christmas reminds us that God comes to us in surprising ways and even
ways that we didn’t want. On a sixteen
hour delay that really could have been quite miserable, we felt Christ’s birth
in our hearts through each other.
Thankfully, we are not alone on
this journey. Just like the shepherds or
the Magi who journeyed to see baby Jesus on that holy night, we help each other
seek His face. Grumpy Tracy’s stint may
have lasted a lot longer had I not been surrounded by other people who chose to
see the bright side of the situation. We
were united by sharing our stories, and laughter, and even the annoyances and
inconveniences – and voilà! We were no longer
frustrated individuals pushing to get home. We were a community. The burden was lighter and the joy more
radiant. Christ is born when we walk
together. Who leads you to kneel down
at the cradle of the Lord in wonder?
Eric had commented on the plane
that any struggles we were living during that trip were certainly “first world
problems.” This reminder was a gift that
stopped me in my tracks: how lucky I am to be able to afford an airplane
ticket, to live in a place where I can do fulfilling work, and have a loving
family and friends to come home to. After
Eric left the airport, my luggage was found, and I walked out to the curb to
wait for my family. My heart sighed
peacefully as I saw that familiar red Toyota Corolla rounding the bend. Mom, Dad, and Nathan had all come to greet
me.
As we start 2013, I pray that we
can be aware of the many moments that Christ is being born into our lives. If this was our New Year’s Resolution, who
knows what could ensue. True happiness will not come from a better
diet or working out more. It will come
when we learn to look at what is and savor God’s presence in it. As surprising as a Savior born to a poor
couple in a stable; as unexpected as community born through a 16 hour delay –
He is born to us!
