Travel Miracles

The first miracle of our travels was the Miracle of Bubba.  Natty has a little stuffed rabbit that is her most prized possession and can not be lived without.  He is especially important at sleep times.  She had decided at one point that Bubba would stay in her carry-on suitcase throughout the trip to make sure he didn't somehow get left behind, but she couldn't hold out on this and so carried him with us in her hands in and out of airports and on and off the planes.  Right after we were denied access onto our second flight and rushed to another plane, we realized as we boarded that Bubba was no where in sight.  My last memory of him was handing him to Natty while we were debating with the LAN people.  I assumed that she must have dropped him on the floor at that point and when we were whisked away, Bubba stayed behind.  Immediately the angst set in and Natty started bawling, "I want my Bubba!!  I need Bubba!  I want him!!"  It was really heartbreaking when you know your child actually considers this thing to be a real, live friend that talks to her and that she lovingly pets and cradles like a little baby and tells him that she loves him.  There was nothing that could be done, as they were waiting for us to seal the door and taxi out.  We sat down in our seats, mine was a bit behind where Scotty and Natty were and on the other side of the aisle.  All I could hear was the faint whimpering of my little girl and I just thought the day couldn't get much worse from there.  All of a sudden, I hear Scotty's voice and he is waving Bubba triumphantly in the air!  I have no idea how that happened, and later find out that he found the bunny in his backpack.  He has no recollection of putting him there and I know that he was so busy trying to figure out our flight situation while Natty and I were playing with Bubba,and then they so quickly moved us on to the gate where our flight was leaving, that I am convinced God miraculously stored him in Scotty's backpack.  I actually cried at that moment and hoped the strangers I was wedged between wouldn't notice.

Natty and I catch site of our ride home- Nana and Papa are here!

Miracle #2 comes on Saturday after our much needed sleep at the hotel in Miami.  We had a nice morning and were just getting geared up for the drive home.  Scotty headed out after our mediocre breakfast to pick up the rental car I had reserved with debit card online a month ago.  Natty and I started surfing cartoon channels, the one thing she was most excited about regarding our journey home.  Not surprisingly, we ended up watching Spanish cartoons on the only Spanish channel we picked up.  An hour passed, another half hour past, another half hour- and still, no Scotty.  We turned the TV off and walked outside to sit down on the steps right outside our hotel door for some fresh air (something I haven't been able to do in two months!).  I heard a phone ringing in the distance and realized it was ours!  I ran back inside (but, slowly, as a woman on bed rest should do) and picked it up.  Scotty says, "Well, it's gone from bad to worse".  Never enouraging words.  He tells me that he's been to every car rental place at the airport and no one will rent to him.  The company that we had reserved with would not accept his debit card because when they did a credit check, he had no history (yes, he has no credit history at 39 years old).  But, this also means that we're responsible with money, right??  Anyway, it's a no deal and I hang up feeling despondent and a bit worried.  I tell Natty what's happening and we pray and I decide that since God knew this was coming, I should just chill and trust He's already worked out Plan B.  I call my parents, who live 6 hours away, and ask if they can come get us.  Yes.  Now, I call the front desk and ask if they can extend us the room.  No.  No??  The hotel is completely booked for the night??  I explain that I am a poor pregnant woman on bed rest and we have nowhere to go and I don't have a wheelchair and shouldn't be walking around.  Front desk chick responds, "But if I let you stay in that room, the next guest will show up and have no where to go."  True, but can't you work a miracle for me, or at least sound sympathetic?  No.  I hang up and really start racking my brain.  We could go to the mall until dinner time- but they don't have free wheelchairs, do they?  We could go to the hospital- they have wheelchairs.  No, that doesn't sound like fun.  We could rent another hotel room in a different hotel, but it will be expensive and still mean packing up and hauling 3 big bags and a car seat and myself into a taxi and walking around somewhere else where I shouldn't be walking.  I had a good cry, pulled myself together, and called the front desk to ask if they'd give us an extra half hour and the numbers to their other Miami locales.  And, oh yeah, if we book at another one of their hotels, could they shuttle us over?  No.  Grrrrr...  So, front desk chick tells me she's extended our stay and I ask again for the other hotel phone numbers and she says, "No, I've extended you for another night."  What??  I thought the hotel was full.  Nonchalantly, hotel chick says, "Oh, we had a cancellation."  Wow!  God again to the rescue!  I hung up and cried tears of joy for the second time this trip, astounded at God's goodness in working out this stressful situation.  I felt so helpless as this person who wasn't supposed to be up and walking around much and the idea of trying to find a new place to go sounded a bit overwhelming.  But, God gave us a way to stay in the same room for the afternoon so that I could chill while Natty and Scotty explored.  My parents came at dinnertime, had some food with us, and off we went- arriving home at 1am.  And now, it's all behind us, we see how God's hand was in all of it, as always, and now we wait to see how He's going to work in my body as we anxiously await my appointment with a nurse at the end of the week.  But, we know, and have been shown so many times, that He is faithful.