What a trip.

Sometimes you realize how wonderful people can be. There was a large apartment fire a week or so around here. People came forward with so many toy and clothes donations that they had to donate many of the toys elsewhere and they had to eventually turn away clothes because they just had too many. One person even donated a million dollars to be split evenly among the families, who were basically left with nothing...especially since many of them did not have renters insurance.

Sometimes people are wonderful. And sometimes people need a lot of prayer.

My sister and niece are visiting from New Jersey. They had a heck of a time getting here with all the weather issues because they had to fly through Chicago. Because their flight was canceled, they had to come in the next day on a different flight and airline, (Midwest) through Milwaukee this time. But first they had a 3 hour delay out of Philadelphia.

Their Milwaukee flight appeared be on time...appeared being the operative word. They were up in the air and almost all the way to the to Minneapolis when the pilot announced that they had to come home due to a mechanical problem. Why they flew all the way back to Milwaukee, when they were MUCH closer to Minneapolis makes no sense to me. But nonetheless, my sister and niece were delayed yet again.

They arrived back in Milwaukee, and had to wait for a new plane. Then they were delayed yet again because apparently an unhappy flyer wrote something on a comment card that he probably should not have, apparently posing a threat. However, after the pilots talked to him, they allowed hi to stay on the plane. Finally, my sister and niece were able to fly back, arriving in our frozen tundra about 24 hours after they were supposed to be here. But they were safe, and that's what's really important.

But the drama doesn't end there. When my sister came home and started unpacking her suitcase to put the gifts under the tree, she discovered some gifts missing. Soon she discovered over $300 worth of gifts missing...gifts for her daughter that she saved up for. Gifts like a digital camera. Somebody went through my sister's luggage, opened the gifts to see if they were worth stealing (apparently kids books are not), and then took what they wanted. We have NO IDEA where they were stolen from, and it has not been easy to try to contact someone to file a claim.

It makes me angry that somebody stole the gifts my sister bought for my niece. But really, staying mad won't help anything. We need to pray for them and hope they don't continue to steal people's items.

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3:19)