Paris Postponed...????

 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.~ Philippians 4:6
 
Less than 60 days to our Paris trip, and everything is so up in the air that I can feel quite anxious and breathless if I let myself think too closely about it. So I have come here to talk to you, Dear Reader. You are so good to listen and to actually care what is going on, and I appreciate that more than you can know. This is a bit of a whiny post, and I am sorry for that. But I already know how disappointed my kids are at recent developments, so I don't want to ramble on at them. And the hubby was not much for the trip to begin with, as you may remember, so it will not hurt his feelings if we go or not. 

When this whole flu thing began I was nonplussed. I never imagined it could culminate in entire countries virtually shutting down. Especially the good ole US of A. And when it began to be real to us here, I kept thinking- It will all blow over by mid-May. But then came the night when one of the kids texted me to turn on the TV to see what Trump was saying. And that was the first I heard of travel bans to Europe. But I still had hope. The entire state of Arkansas had ONE confirmed case. And France was still fine...right?

Next came the mandate that Americans in other countries return home. And then the news that France had stopped gathering of more than 50, including churches and schools. It came about the same time that our governor issued a health warning for the state; there were suddenly 12 cases of the flu,  and the schools were told to close by Tuesday.

Getting any info about our flights has been ridiculous. The hotlines say not to call unless your travel is within 72 hours. The websites are written cryptically and I can't tell if we can get a refund, or a switch, or if we would have to pay a $300 fine to do so for each ticket!! So far all info on our tickets says we are still set to leave on May the 14th. How can that be when both France and America say you will be quarantined if you travel out or into the country?

I had thought to check on flights for later, in September, just in case we could switch our tickets. That is our usual time to go on a family vacation, and also a nice time to be in Paris. All this will be over by then, right?? But any airline that I put that request into simply sitting and grinds unendingly with no solution. It seems the sites are as confused and uncertain as I am. And we did not buy travel insurance, Dear Reader. I had my travel agent friend send it to me three times, and each time my hubby did not want to spend the extra money to protect tickets we had already spent so much on. What to do??

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you  in Christ Jesus.~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
But after all that, I have to tell you- I am at peace about it. I know, it sounds like the last thing that I am- ha ha! But truly, the night after the announcement, my mind was a hive of bees. I read until 1:30 a.m. to keep from thinking. When I did go to bed, I lay there and prayed about it. And I was just overcome with a great sense of thankfulness. My family is all close by, even the grandparents. We are all well and safe thus far. And if something does happen, God forbid, we will all be here to support each other. Here is another thing, Dear Reader, my grandbaby was due to be born while we would be gone. God knows that I want to be here for that glorious moment. And now, it looks like we definitely will. God works in mysterious ways, and his plan is always perfect. There are times when I can look back twenty years to an event that was traumatic in my life, and now I can see exactly what blessings were wrought from it. My hubby asked me at one point if I wanted to cry about Paris. He meant it sincerely, not sarcastically. I told him no. Even before my first trip to Paris, I knew in my heart that if I was not able to go, ever in my entire life, it would be fine. Everything I love is here. So, if Paris happens later, I am fine. If Paris never happens again, I will be fine. But I will feel immense remorse for my kids, who were so thrilled that they had countdowns on their phones to the very second we were to leave.

And so you see, Dear Reader, why struggling with it has made me anxious this morning. I want to fulfill the hopes of my kids. I want very much for them to experience the wonderful sights and sensations that I did. And if we are not able to go, I do not want to lose the money that could go to doing something else with them here, or another place. I am tired of racking my brain after what can be done. I am just going to go outside and do my chores and get ready for this evening. All my family will be here to eat supper and talk and be happy. And I will look around the table at those faces that I love best in the world and know that for now we are all okay, and that it all that really matters. 

And that is what I pray for you. That you and your loved ones are well and safe. That you gather those beloved close to you, if not physically, in thought and prayer. And that you lean on the Father who sees all and hears all, and who loves and watches over us. Big hugs to you in this uncertain time...

Turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful. ~Joel 2:13