We’ve all been there, the plane is delayed, you miss a connection, someone is late and holds you up. It’s all just part of life, right? Well, maybe.

Delays can lead to many things. Divine appointments, safety when otherwise there wasn’t any, sleep deprivation (you’ll see where that idea came from in a minute) and the list goes on. What did you do with your last delay? I’m writing this as I wait for my plane that is now going to be over 4 hours late. How does that happen when it’s the first flight of the day? Don’t think I want to know…Just saw the movie, “Sully,” yesterday. No birds or mechanical issues, if you please. In the movie, they showed a Chinese fortune cookie fortune that Sully had saved, “A delay is not a disaster.” I’ll stick with that.

I remember being stuck in St. Paul, MN when a snow storm hit. Another time, I allowed the airline to bump me and put me on another flight with the promise of a free ticket. It turned out that I missed my connection in Charlotte and was 3 AM getting home on Saturday morning watching my weekend disappear. I don’t even remember where I went on that free plane ride, but if there had been a delay, I probably would.

Today is a delay I will not forget.

I woke up at 4:30 AM to make a 6 AM flight only to discover when I arrived that there was a 3 hour delay. Nice. So, I called Kevin and he came back to the airport and picked me up. He drove me back at 8 AM and dropped me off at the little Salisbury airport. When I walked up to the counter, I discovered there was yet another hour delay. I dejectedly walked to a seat, turned around, and there was Kevin wanting to know what was wrong. When I told him, I asked how he knew. He said he saw my shoulders slump when I was standing at the counter. He got out of the car and came in to check on me. I insisted he go on home and get some sleep. Glad I didn’t rant and rave too much at the sleepy airline counter clerk. That would have been embarrassing…

I almost just bailed on the trip, it was so tempting to just stay home. When you’re sleep deprived, everything looks gloomy, but I’m determined to believe it’s a blessing in disguise. If nothing else comes out of it, I will never forget feeling loved and protected when I turned around and saw Kevin there.

You never know when you will have the opportunity to bless someone just by showing them that you care. I sent Kevin home and I now sit in the airport writing this. My heart is full. I’m still sleepy and potentially grumpy if I don’t make my connection in Philly, but it’s all good.

Did I mention I’m headed to the beach in Destin, Florida with a bunch of girlfriends? Don’t feel too sorry for me. God willing, my feet will be in the sand by this time tomorrow and I’ll be busy collecting shells and counting my blessings.