"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are small matters
compared to what lies within us."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Guardian Angels

I thought I would zip back to my flight home so I can always remember fondly our nightmare, I mean, trip, home from Ukraine.

I bought these flowers the day I left Ukraine from a woman who sat all day in the sun selling flowers with her six year old daughter. They cost $2.00.

On my last night in Ukraine, I was feeling really lonely and sad. Then, I met the sweetest family, Mark, Hansina and Morgan. Please check out their blog! http://www.loveforlittlelydiah.blogspot.com/


You know how you meet someone and you feel like you have known them all your life? That's how I felt about Hansina!


Here is Francesca at the beginning of the plane trip.


Here she is after 15 hours.


I even drugged her with Benadryl, which did nothing but appear to give her the urge to poop 500 times in a row.


Poor Victoria was obviously in pain.


I met the most amazing people on my flights. On our way to Frankfort, Lufthansa suddenly realized that there wasn't a seat for Francesca, even though I had paid dearly for one. Just as I was panicking about having two screaming babies on my lap for five hours, suddenly I saw a woman I had met at the embassy in Kiev. She just adopted a 14 year old. She was so sweet and wonderful AND most importantly, she didn't mind holding a slobbery, screaming kid or two. Now what if we hadn't met that day at the embassy! I am so glad to have met her and of course, she has the best name ever, Catherine.


We even had the same four hour layover. If it hadn't been for her, I would have crawled into a fetal position and stayed there.


On the flight to Atlanta, I was seated next to a scary looking woman who stared at Francesca with obvious disgust. My mind was getting numb and we still had 10 hours to go. Then, a miracle. The flight attendant asked the vexatious (my new goal is to use big words ) woman to move so another couple could use our seats since we had a little more space. Well, my new seatmates were wonderful. The woman sat down and immediately smiled at little Victoria.




Her sweet husband even got Victoria to sleep for 14 1/2 minutes!



I know it wasn't just luck that I met all these guardian angels on our journey. It was because of all your prayers for us! Thank you all so, so much!

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water." Well, on this journey, I realized that I am stronger than I thought!

17 comments:

  1. Wow! You saw God all over the place on your way home! You have a beautiful family! Bless you!

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  2. you certainly are stronger than you thought... isn't this just an amazing journey!! And really... it's only JUST begun! :)

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  3. Wow....words fail me at the moment....
    I have to say, however, that I enjoyed following your journey. You are real and very honest about the experience. You have an amazing sense of humor, too, which I greatly admire.
    Still praying for your girls!
    (((HUGS)))

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  4. This is amazing, YOU are amazing!

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  5. SO many blessings! Prayers continue for you and your family!

    Brooke Annessa
    www.TheAnnessaFamily.blogspot.com

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  6. what a great post; I always enjoy reading yours! I love the people God brought you along the way to help with the girls, and that you have no shyness about taking pictures, because these are one of those beautiful posts you will read again to yourself later on and be in awe of how you were not alone, but carried.

    And I love that your new girls are little enough to use a baby carrier. :)

    Hope you get some rest soon. And I hope your other children are adjusting well. I know they missed youl.

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  7. Thank the Lord for guardian angels!! Thanks for sharing your story, Catherine!

    Rochelle
    Elk Grove, CA

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  8. Catherine, you are an amazing woman and I am blessed to call you my friend!

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  9. Praise the Lord! So glad you're past all that now.

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  10. I would have ejected myself! i was on one very short flight one time, when my son who was two at the time was screaming from take off to landing non stop. It had even reached the pilot who was "mocking" us over the loud speaker(all in good fun mind you)although the other passengers were ready to fling us out. by the time we landed our entire family was in tears for various reasons. I'm still scared for life by that. no angels for me on that trip. Glad you got them all on yours!!! Seriously God set you up with some fabulous human beings! Bless them!

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  11. Okay - I prayed for those angels. I prayed that God would send people to be His hands and His feet for you on that trip and I am SO GLAD you posted this. He answered my prayer.

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  12. I'm so happy that you encountered such wonderful souls on your trip home!

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  13. GOD BLESS those gorgeous, beautiful people you met on your flight (minus the one that moved). I am teary looking at that big bear of a man holding tiny Victoria (gets me every time :) What angels, what protection God gave you \o/.

    If I didn't believe before, I would now. Beautiful testimony, you seriously should share this at church (with slides so other women can cry over the last ones too). God bless and keep your little ones (and family), strength for you & hubby, healing for your children, and peace for everyone ^_^

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  14. Oh wow! i say all the time that God is good, and stories like this just prove it. I am also loving the pic of that big tough man holding your sleeping baby girl. So sweet!

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  15. That is awesome! God works with us in wonderful ways, we just have to have an open heart and mind!

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  16. Oh how this touched my heart!!! Did you get contact information for any of your angels? I love when God sends people like this just when you need them and they restore or strengthen your faith in Him and his children so much!

    I met some angels that I think about from time to time that I never will see again after I lost my fiance suddenly many years ago. God sent them to me at the right time in the right places exactly when I needed them. He used them to help carry me when I couldn't go on!

    This post reminds me of them and I thank you for sharing it! *wiping tears*

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