I have missed my weekly Zoom meetings with my siblings for several weeks now since I was traveling. So, I was happy to connect with them today. I told them a couple of stories about the trip. I also visited a neighbor and told them a couple of stories too. Talking about the road trip got me to think about the experience and the blessings. We were away for 31 days, went through 22 states and put over 6500 miles on my car. I went to the beach several times, saw beautiful countryside, picked fresh strawberries, went to Mass often, walked downtown, walked in nature, and ate a lot of fresh seafood. I got to know my grandson in a whole different way. Pretty early on the trip we learned how best to communicate with each other and how to be patient with one another. One example is that my grandson was warmer than me. When we arrived in the hotel room, he would crank up the air conditioning and claim the bed next to it. Right before we went to sleep, I would turn the air conditioning down, leave the fan running, and build a fort with the extra pillows as I didn’t like to feel the blowing air. We were both very happy that the air conditioning in the car had a separate control for the driver and passenger. We also learned that we have many things in common such as enjoying chess, farmer’s markets, thrift stores, taking photos, and chatting with new people. My grandson got to see his friends who were still in the area and his aunts and cousin. I visited with more people that I can even count. I didn’t realize how much I missed them and the faith community. God was present and active in every conversation and meeting, regardless of the length of time. The generosity, love and encouragement I felt was at times overwhelming. What started in my head as a road trip to visit some friends turned out to be an amazing experience that I could never have anticipated. I continually thank God for how good He is to me and my grandson.

I Found God today reflecting on the incredibly blessed road trip.