There are lots of things about traveling that are delightful, but some things that are depressing. I just concluded a two-week sojourn which started in Regina and touched down in (other) major centers: Calgary, Dallas-Fort Worth, Midland, Louisville, Nashville, Gonce (if you find that on your map – NE corner of Alabama, you have been reading the fine print!), and Yellowknife.
Each time the steward(ess) forces me to bucket down I ponder the fact that I am flying in style—at least 32,000 feet above my actual status in life. I grew up on horseback in an out-of-the way corner of SE Saskatchewan. What am I doing flying around in high class?
None-the-less, flying is an amazing way to sit down in Dallas and, in less than 4 hours, stand up in Calgary; enjoy a coke and be transported from Calgary to Yellowknife – to say nothing of waving goodbye to Kolkata and, in less than a day, step into our “home” in Regina! I wonder what William Carey would have accomplish if he had the likes of this!
It’s (often) very exhilarating. But it can also be tiring and discouraging. One way to limit depression is not to accept the newspaper offered to you while boarding. There are too many nasty people (and evens) in our world … and how do they deserve he front page of every newspaper.
On the other hand there a so many nice people. You can encounter some of them are in the air, but most of them are on the ground. In Midland, Texas (the antithesis of Allan McCrea’s “poverty canyon”), I was treated to the generous lifestyle and hospitality of Gary and Connie Tate. What a pair. In their 80’s; 60+ years of marriage. During the closing months of War II, Gary served as a soldier in NE India. His dreams of making a difference in that forgotten corner of the earth go on and on. Connie arises daily at 6 AM to go swimming with the girls. Her evening walks take her speeding around a course which encircles the neighbourhood. Life, Service, Hospitality. Vision.
Thank you, God, for the nice people who have dropped into my pathway.
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