Into the night

Airports at night are curious places.

As though the madly-rushed journeys

that take place during the day give way

to a strange world of suspended activity

and "other-worldly" journeys of those

lost and delayed in transit between places.

Waiting....

waiting....

waiting....

It has been in these places of waiting

that I have had the privilege to be close to

the "between-places people of the night"

and had meetings and nearness which have

moved, surprised and deepened me.

Sometimes almost no words have been said.

Just the movement of being close as people

have dropped off to half-sleep, squashed

on awkward airport benches designed for

quantity of sitting rather than lying-comfort!

Surprise, as someone realizes that their legs

have just involuntarily (?) kicked me or

as another one's head has slipped on to

my shoulder - it felt so honouring!

Sometimes I have found myself in a

many-hour long dialogue of deep transition

where sorrow has been turned into joy,

dread into trust, hopefulness and love.

In these moments I have come to love

places I before had thought of as dead -

these vast rooms for travellers have been

turned into temples of holy meetings and

of the openings of souls and

the bringing forth of Joy!

When I reflected upon all this,

I understood that I could not really

have met these spaces or these people

unless I had been prepared to change

in my own inner life.

So what came first?

Did I change/was I changing within

before my journey, before these meetings?

Or were these meeting there to change me

so that I could be a catalyst in the changes

which I was privileged to be part of?

I cannot tell.

All I know is that what I experienced

showed me how there can be joy in

the most "unlikely" places - and that

ministering to one another is not just possible

but wonderfully productive in places where

"normal reality" is already undone!

I thought my nights-between-flights

would be tiring and meaningless, and yet

I've found great peace and meaning in them!

There is a real joyful inner smile in me

each time I think of what I've experienced.

Waiting at airports will never be the same!

Blessings

John

 

Everything weaving in together!