Europe: A Reflection. Part 1

This blog is my best attempt at recording the beauty that I constantly see around me in this world. My goal for this blog is to really seek out and cherish the moments that make this life special and something to be valued on Earth. I would like to think that God's beauty is everywhere around us in this world, and that our job on Earth is to truly discover it. That's a big reason why I want to travel. That's a big reason why I don't want to take anything that happens for granted. So while these reflections may be small, the overall meaning and importance if them will never be forgotten. I have SO MUCH catching up to do, that I am going to take the time to record moments in my life that really stand out, and I hope by doing this that maybe others can be inspired to hold on to their memories. To see lights at the end of tunnels, stars that guide people through the darkness, rainbows shining in the midst of clouds. There is hope and joy and beauty in this world, but you have to work hard to find it and work harder to cherish it.

So, I did a terrible job of blogging about my Euro experience, like I said I would. Its funny, because you get so caught up in being over there and living your life that its easy to forget to write it all down. So here's my attempt to make up for lost time. I decided to recapture my favorite moments in London and in Europe in general, letting you all get a look as to the moments I will cherish for a long time. This is a really small story, but it was really important to me.

"The Bus Ride"

So, it was about two weeks into my stay in London and about 9:30 PM on a Tuesday, when I realized I needed to get groceries. I had heard that ASDA was a grocery store similar to Wal-Mart and that it would have all that I needed. Normally, I would never have gone to get groceries so late at night, but I realized that my diet of frozen dinners and ham and cheese sandwiches had to end at some point. Also, I was feeling down, because I missed everyone back home and that night I was alone and bored. So, of course, ASDA was my perfect distraction. I planned out my bus ride so that I would get to ASDA by 10:15, shop for an hour, and catch the last bus back to my campus at around 11:45. Perfect, right?

Well, it was, except that I forgot one important thing. To "top up" my Oyster Card. Topping up means just putting credit onto your "Oyster" or travel card. The travel card allows you access to most London transportation systems. I got the ride down to ASDA just fine, and I had no idea that my travel credit had ran too low. So I did all of my shopping and was ready to get on the bus at 11:30. Well, ASDA was the last stop on the D6 bus line that would take me back to my campus. Thus, you have to wait around a while until another bus starts up and takes you back up to campus. So I waited with all of my heavy groceries for about 15 minutes, and then finally the bus came. "Thank God!" I thought. I was tired of waiting, and I was tired and wanted to go to bed.

So I come up to the bus and tried to get on. Swiped my travel card, DENIED. "Okay, no problem," I thought. I dug into my pocket and pulled out a 10-pound note and gave it to the driver. He said, "I don't have change!" in the roughest way possible. This made me mad. Here I was, waiting for the last bus of the night, and this guy refused to give me a ride back. So, I had to get off, lugging my heavy groceries off with me. When he drove away, I shouted a few, shall we say, "choice" words at him. I didn't know what to do. I thought, "Well, I guess I'll try to get the next one" hoping that another was going to come. Because otherwise I was trapped at midnight in a part of London I didn't know. So, I got change came back out and waited another 20 minutes. Finally, a bus drives up, I had the driver the change, and I sit down in the bus, thankful that another one came.

By this point, I am still seriously upset. I was tired, alone, and angry at the first driver because of how much of a jerk he was, and I was just so negative. I wanted to go back home and leave the big city, because it was just draining. But then, at the stop before mine, an African-American woman got on the bus and sat next to me. And I could hear her humming a song, and then she started singing out loud and I heard her sing a Christian hymn. She had so much joy, that I caught myself humming with her. And then I realized she was singing "Come Thou Fount" which is one of my favorites. I got off on the next stop before she noticed my humming, but that moment made me smile, because here was this woman expressing her joy for the Lord, and her joy was contagious. I couldn't help but smile, and feel that she was, for a few seconds, a friend, because she reminded me of the importance of not harboring bitterness or resentment. I remembered the line, "Praise the Mount, I'm fixed upon it." and I realized where my focus needed to be: on God and not myself. She reminded me the importance of constantly utilizing an optimistic outlook on life and to turn to God for any problems big or small and trusting Him. And I felt it was God cheering me up with that random stranger, and I want to remember that and cherish it. Something so small, yet so powerful. I love it!