The flight out of Abilene was delayed by more than two hours. A 2 p.m. connection in Dallas was now set for 6:45 p.m. and the day of travel that had seemed fairly tame was emerging as a monster.
I had gate-checked my carry-on bag for the short hop from Abilene to DFW. With my new schedule I had several hours before my flight to Virginia, so I dutifully allowed those with immediate connections to deplane and grab their gate-checked items before me.
I retrieved my carry-on and as I turned to head up the jetway, I was blocked by a little girl. She was waiting for her dad, who was gathering a number of items. The four-year-old smiled up at me and asked, “Mister, are you in a big hurry?”
“As a matter of fact, I am not,” I smiled.
Her serious look turned to a big grin and she said, “I’m not either!”
I chuckled a bit and walked slowly to the terminal. Rethinking that bit of conversation, I was reminded over and over that afternoon that this few hours was a blessing, of sorts. For once, I had plenty of time to do everything I needed to do.
A few hours later, I was delighted to see the little girl and her family board the same flight and thought it incredible that they were seated right behind me.
“So,” I asked, “did you have plenty of time to see the airport?”
“All the time in the world,” she answered. “How about you?”
“Plenty.”
When stress is high, blessings sometimes come in unexpected ways. Who would have thought that a five-hour delay in reaching my destination would have been one of them? And what are the chances that I would find someone who shared my view of that?
Blessings do come in difficult times. I hope someone blocks your path and points them out to you.