Gift.

The second day of Rachael and Sarah's Extravagant European Vacation found the girls

retracing their steps across Oslo in search of Rachael's adventuring wallet.

They never found it. 

Nothing like starting your life over again

with losing your wallet in a foreign country on the first day.

It rained and we celebrated our defeat with cigars.

Showed up at the train station exhausted and disgruntled.

***

Once on the train Sarah gave me a treasure.

She pulled a fat envelope from her backpack and said

"These are your birthday cards."

You see, she was supposed to save them for my birthday, 

I was supposed to open them in the Alps but Sarah thought I needed them that day.

Inside I found a wild assortment of birthday cards from dear friends, grannies, my church, and other lovely folks I barely knew who had responded to Sarah's request for letters.

I don't even have words.

Oh, I cried.

I never felt so loved, a thousand miles from home.

Best. Train. Ever.

"Traveling – seeing new sights, hearing new music, and meeting new people – is exciting and exhilarating. But when we have no home to return to where someone will ask us, “How was your trip?” we might be less eager to go. Traveling is joyful when we travel with the eyes and ears of those who love us, who want to see our slides and hear our stories.

This is what life is about. It is being sent on a trip by a loving God, who is waiting at home for our return and is eager to watch the slides we took and hear about the friends we made. When we travel with the eyes and ears of the God who sent us, we will see wonderful sights, hear wonderful sounds, meet wonderful people … and be happy to return home."

-Henri Nouwen