Don finally got home last night from England, after his flight on Sunday from Manchester to Atlanta got cancelled. Delta put them in a hotel overnight and fed them dinner, but it was one more delay in having daddy home. Then there was an issue over whether he would actually make the connecting flight to Augusta. He only had one hour in Atlanta to get through Customs, change concourses and catch his plane. Doubtful, we both thought, so I looked up the time of the next flight.
When I called Delta yesterday morning to be certain he was on the special Manchester to Atlanta flight, they told me that he was on the manifest and that the flight was making very good time and was scheduled to land an hour and 15 minutes early, leaving him plenty of time to make his connector home.
Before leaving for the airport, I called Delta one last time to be sure he had made the flight. Whoops of joy and laughter were heard throughout the house. Daddy was only minutes from being home.
He immediately began unpacking, pulling out 4 large bags of porridge oats, English magazines for all the children, chocolate spread, golden syrup, biscuits, crumpets, and the church magazine for me. I plopped at the kitchen table (already set for dinner) and began reading about all the news at New Church. Dinner was in the oven, Don was in the dining room unpacking, and I noticed it was very quiet in the house. I glanced up from my newsletter to discover that all three children were sitting silently at the table, each reading their magazines from England. It's never that quiet around here. But Daddy's home and, with him, he brought his magic that only Daddy has. He has an impact on the family that I can't even approximate.
While sitting at the airport waiting for his luggage, I breathed a sigh of relief and commented, "Daddy's home - all is right in the world."
Deanna was sitting next to me. "I wish I could believe that, Mama, but there's still a war in Afghanistan." Ten years old and she talks like a 35 yr. old.
"I know, honey, but my little world of Augusta, Georgia, just became right again."
"THAT I can agree to." She smiled and tucked herself under my arm, obviously feeling very RIGHT herself.
2 comments:
We saw you all unloading the car yesterday; I was so happy for you!
Thanks, Rach. I know it was only 2 weeks, but it still was the longest we've ever been apart - and I wouldn't want to repeat it anytime over the next 12 years of marriage.
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