John and I arrived in Baltimore last night. We are here for the Army/Navy game on Saturday. This is my first time to see the game in person and John hasn’t been to one since he was commissioned; we are pumped! GO NAVY!!

Our flight landed at the Baltimore-Washington International airport right on time. But, as folks gathered their belongings to head into the terminal an announcement was made. Apparently the ground crew was working at another location. We waited on the ground in the plane for an extra 30 minutes. 

Our luggage arrived and it was off to the rental car building. The line at Hertz was really long, so John suggested we try to kiosk that advertised “live agents.” We started the process and got to meet “Ron.” We could see Ron and Ron could see us. He was a delightful guy but either he or the system was incredibly slow. The long line at the counter was gone by the time Ron had gotten done with processing our existing reservation. As Ron completed his final action, he and John discovered that the kiosk printer was out of paper.No problem, the line was gone and “Dena” was available. 

Dena was also delightful but the system required that some of the actions Ron had done had to be repeated. No worries, Dena got it done and we were off to find our mid-sized vehicle in slot 301. 

We bundled up and made our way to the parking garage. Only one problem – there was no vehicle in slot 301. Back to see Dena.
Dena didn’t recognize John (she sees many people each day) and listened to him explain our situation. She took his drivers license and paperwork and asked him if his name was “Linda Air.” Now, folks have called us a lot of things, but I have never heard anyone call John, “Linda.” John smiled at Dena and explained again his name and situation.

Apparently, the mid-sized car in slot 301 had been given to two reservations. Ok, time to start over. Dena and her colleagues were trying to figure out the source of the problem; we were trying to figure out how to get a car!! All was tracking well until Dena learned that they were out of mid-sized cars. We got a free upgrade and headed on our way.

Delayed arrival. Long line. Slow agent. No paper in the printer. No car – part one. Wrong name. No car – part two. 

Let’s face it – the holidays bring stress. My favorite way to deal with holiday stress is distraction.  

• The toddler in the bus to the rental car building who entertained us by taking off her shoes and socks and her dad who kept putting them back on her. (I thanked God for her as her Mom shared how blessed they were.)
• The beautiful couple walking hand in hand. (I prayed that they would benefit others with their wealth.)
• The worker walking in shoes that were so worn and uneven. (I prayed for him and his family.) 
• Watching John deal with all of the craziness. (I thanked God for His goodness to us.)

Find the distractions and you will find opportunities for prayer.  God is always available and when you talk with Him, He will talk to you. 

Love,

Jill

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Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (James 5:7-8)