The Chronicles of Kiwi, Part 20

I packed my bags tonight, pre-flight

Well, good news! While the trip down here to New Zealand was a drawn out affair – nearly 24 hours of flying and connections and what not – it seems the trip home shouldn’t be all that bad. It says, right here on my ticket, that we’ll leave Auckland, NZ at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 7th and that we’ll arrive home to Durango, Colorado at 5:48 p.m. on Thursday, December 7th. How about that? Only a couple of hours of travel…

Traveling   

Hmm…That two hour thing did NOT work out. So, a bit about the plane. The seat of my neighbor directly in front of me, 30 D, kindly hosts a monitor for me just as my seat, 31 D, hosts one for the passenger behind me. It’s a marvel. We can choose from hundreds of movies, music genres, internet ($19 for the flight), video games and the like. I’ve been glancing about. Someone is watching one of the Fast and Furious movies, another, Wonder Woman. I see Spider Man is still avoiding traffic congestion with his spidey ways – jumping from building to building. And surprisingly, several screens are ablaze with the latest offering from the Planet of The Apes franchise. I’ve kept the Flight Update Screen going most of the way and occasionally glance up to see if we’re still in the air and if there’s anything I can do to be of assistance. My vigilance seems to have paid off. We’re still in the air. We crossed the equator a little while ago. Our air speed is 568 mph, we’re at 38000, and it is -54F outside. I’ve got the fidgets. The cheerful and full-size lad next to me got the early dibs on the arm rests. I feel sorry for him so I’m not going to stake any claims when he takes a bathroom break. I think he’s stressed. He’s told me the same joke twice. He is stuck in the middle and allowing him a bit of elbow room seems a mercy. What would Jesus do…with his heavenly elbows? I’m assuming he’d rest them beatifically in his lap as I feel I’m being nudged to do.

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We arrived very early to Los Angeles because of a powerful 135 mph tailwind. The friendly gale profited us little because the Customs Office wasn’t open. We had to wait on the tarmac – too early for the government by nearly an hour. Everyone is restless, standing up, ready to make their move but there is nowhere to go. We’re in a hurry to burst through the door where we will abruptly stop and do some additional lingering as we snail our way through customs. It will take us an hour and a half to do that. We get free of that mess and begin our next pause as we await our connecting flight, some four hours away.

Back to reality

During all of this waiting I have a chance to change out the New Zealand SIM card in my smartphone with my US SIM card and, in a flash, the texts and emails begin pouring in. The most plaintive and horrific is the news that there’s an active shooter incident taking place in Aztec, NM, the nice little town just down the road from us. It’s a sobering punch to the gut. I’ve many friends who live in Aztec: the mayor, business owners, musicians, pastors and educators. People are asking for prayers. This is happening in real time. I pray: “Oh God…let this end quickly.” This is too close to home. I’ve three teachers in my family. I’ve grandkids in school. The awfulness. I hate this. I hate evil. The memory of New Zealand paradise, less than 24 chorus old, now feels surreal. Three high school students will die in this pointless and cowardly act. Our area has now joined the sad and growing club of schools and towns that have had a “shooting incident.”

Evil makes itself important. Enjoyment of any kind in the face of evil seems blasphemous. That’s what evil does. It is joyless, demanding and severe. It sucks all the oxygen out of the room. It is self-enthroning. Evil will not countenance innocence, playfulness, joy, or gratefulness. I’ve known this for some time. It is why I began writing this thing called Graceful Notions. As it is, the world is aching under the boisterous, self-aggrandizing, self-importance of evil. The world needs a different narrative, a different voice – something else to think about. By God’s grace we’ll keep this good thing going…Blessings on all you dear readers. Make a good prayer today for Aztec, New Mexico.