Rough Landing, Warm Embrace

My trip to Italy began the day before I left with a reminder that sometimes the most beautiful things exist right in our own backyard. On Thursday, the day before my flight, I got lunch with two very good friends at La Province on San Vicente and afterwards walked to a local farmers market in the VA by my house. At the end of the market was a road that I had never taken that runs behind my neighborhood adjacent to the VA. In front of us lay a beautiful unkempt garden of overgrown landscape, lit by rays of light filtered between enormous trees on a hill. I felt like I had mistakenly unlocked a secret world within feet of my house, but hidden behind an ivy fence. As with many things in my life, I could see God showing me that sometimes the most beautiful discoveries are found where we begin our journey.

As I left the garden I got a call from a friend who was flying on the same airline as I would a day after. He told me that his British Airways flight had been cancelled and that the whole system was in chaos due to bad weather in London. Looking back at his call, I realized that this was a foreshadowing of things to come. My flight to London would be delayed as well, causing me to rebook my transfer to Milan (which was cancelled). With the new flights scheduled I said goodbye to my parents and got in the security line. We scheduled a 10 hr flight to London, giving me an hour to catch my next flight to Milan, however I would find that since my first flight was late, I would miss the transfer and instead fly to Zurich on Swiss air and from Zurich to Milan, arriving at 11:30 without the luggage I checked. By then the trains had stopped running, and I didn't even have a change of clothes or a suitable jacket for the 30 degree weather. The time was 1:00 am and I was still in line to make a claim that my baggage was lost, when a nice man offered to let me borrow his phone.

In my most uncertain hour, God was preparing to show me the beauty of Grace and unconditional love. Waiting to meet me on the other side of the sliding doors at the Milan Airport was Mr. and Ms. Balian, family relatives who instantly became my guardian angels. They had waited at the airport since 4 in the afternoon (when my flight was originally scheduled to land) and 9 hrs later embraced me upon my arrival. The trains had stopped running, it was raining outside, I had no European money, no working phone, but my new family drove me to their home and let me sleep in their house. They abundantly gave me anything I needed (since my luggage was probably still in London). After breakfast the next morning, they took me to see their vibrant and picturesque city of Varese. Upon our return they had prepared a wonderful lunch. Later that day they drove me to Como, with a bag of snacks, a sweater and a thick coat for me to borrow, until my luggage arrives. Insisting on making sure that I was safe, they accompanied me to my room where I found my friend Adam who had overcome similar obstacles to reach our destination.

I was overwhelmed with love for this family whom I had only met once before. They embraced me like a son and took the chaos of my arrival and turned it into a beautiful experience. When I had nothing, they tended to my every need. Their unconditional love for me reflected a greater truth that I am still discovering, that God loves us, not for what we've done, but for who He is. That is the beauty of Grace.