It appears that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not as excited about us visiting them as we thought they might be. Or, maybe I should just say that the processing our Visas did not go quite as we had hoped. We started the process early; knowing that it is a lengthy process that takes paper work that requires copies of our birth certificates, marriage certificate and our daughter's birth certificate; since we are requesting it to visit her. Along with our US Passports, we send these to the company's main office in Houston. Then on their end, Dale has to request our coming to visit and has to send a copy of their marriage certificate. Then someone processes things on that end and sends them to Houston, where it meets up with our paper work and someone processes it there for the Visas. Long story short, our Visas were not going to get to us in time to leave on the first leg of our trip; so we bailed out and asked for our US Passports back, pronto.
We were disappointed. We were looking forward to seeing where the "E" Family lives and watching Sojo play soccer and baseball with her friends. We were looking forward to maybe visiting her classroom and just watching her interact in her little world across the world from us. And then, there was the opportunity to visit a country we had never been to and experiencing another culture. It was not meant to be. We are always firm believers that these things happen for a reason, even if we never discover that reason. Another time....
And so, we will still go to France, as planned. Off to Paris via plane, then onto Chartres, Vezelay and Villefranche-sur-mer via trains and planes. Then, we will be back in Paris for a special little girl's birthday. We will have seven days to explore Paris through a child's eyes. I am sure we will discover things that an adult would never see. I don't just mean the Carousel in a park or Euro Disney. I mean, those hidden things that only children can see. The color of the blue sky or a flower hidden behind a park bench. The awesome wonder in their eyes as they see something for the first time and experience a joy they have never experienced before.
And so, this trip will go on as it was meant to be, if not exactly as planned. We will have, part pilgrimage to sacred places, part re-visiting a place where Ron spent a few years of his youth, part birthday celebration and part surprise for the few days we will spend in Paris doing things we had not planned to do, after the "E" Family returns to Saudi. It will be fun, exciting, and a blessing. We are grateful for the gift of disappointment, surprises, new things, old things and all the in between things that life brings us. Whatever we do, it will be wrapped up in the bow of grace...gift...life...blessings.
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