"I don't have my cell phone". It had been a busy 48 hours. After landing in Dublin, taking the train to Galway, driving and hiking for hours the day before, we were making our way back to Galway to meet friends. On the way we decided to stop at a small town on the map. Ennis, Ireland. Ennis is one of those towns you immediately fall in love with. Small streets lined with bright colors and busy shops, it was walkable and had things to see. We needed food to start, so we found an excellent sandwich shop where we parked with gluten free bread. With missing dinner the night before, and not finding much in the way of breakfast, it was a welcomed find. Fueled up and feeling better, we head over to the Ennis Friary. As one of the oldest buildings in Ennis, this was the attraction that drew us to the town. The old friary had been built by the O'Brian Family for the Catholic Church. It was taken over by the English to become a place for tax collection. It was then left to ruins before the city took it over to begin restoration. The grounds were peaceful and the architecture stunning. The sun streamed through framed windows long without their glass. We spend time just wandering and taking in the moment. From the Friary, we headed towards the museum, recommended by the staff. Unfortunately, they were closed for lunch, and we had a timeline we were on. We opted to take the next recommendation and walk down to the church. Along the way we checked out the American candy shop, that had some interesting finds! Churches are fantastic stops when traveling. The reveal so much about the history and culture of a community. Not to mention, being Catholic, a stop in to see Jesus never hurts. (Which we clearly found out shortly after.) As we headed out we stopped at a bench in the parking lot across from the sandwich shop we had found earlier. We took a moment to take it all in, sort out our things, and get set for our next destination. Ready to go, we jumped in the car and headed out of town. "I don't have my phone". I'm sure my words were full of anxiety. We were about a mile away from where we parked and I couldn't locate it. Driving was difficult, so DC suggested I jump out and run back while he tried to make his way back to park. Running, we made it to the lot about the same time. When I got to the bench to see if it was there... no phone. DC was pulling apart the car by now, and I quickly joined him. I was now in full on panic mode. All of our tickets, connections, and the way to contact the friends we were meeting in an hour was on my phone. In full tears, I decided to walk back towards where we were parked. No phone. I thought about the sandwich shop. DC had made a comment that maybe there's a place for things to be turned in. I walked toward the shop to see if there was someone I could ask. The line was long with a lot of people, and I was now nearly a mess in tears. I took a breath, said a prayer, and decided the next couple I saw I'd ask to see if I could borrow their phone to call mine. On a picnic table a few doors down from the shop was a couple eating with their cell phones on the table. I went for it. (remember, I'm in full tear mode) "Excuse me, I'm sorry, I've lost my phone and I...." The woman cut me off. "No, love, you haven't! Come with me. I know where your phone is." She walked me back into the sandwich shop to the counter. The she and the cashier didn't even have to exchange words. The cashier caught my face, looked at her, and pulled my phone out from behind the counter. To say I was relieved is an understatement. I couldn't thank her enough. She said to think nothing of it, to take a breath, and enjoy our vacation. She said an American and found it and didn't know what to do so here it was. Full tears. "Oh yee of little faith" Faith is an amazing thing. It may not mean the same thing for all of us, but it holds the belief that no matter the circumstance, the problem, the difficulties, the outcome will be ok. When we travel, so much of the time we leave things up to faith that the day, weather, times, among other things will all work themselves out. There is so much out of our control, we have to simply have faith that we will be in the right place, at the right time, to see and do the thing we were meant to. So it is in life. We have no idea where we are going. We have ideas, we have dreams, hopes, wishes, obstacles, good days, bad days, and everything in between. And somewhere, somehow, in the middle of it all, we have to carry the faith that it's all going to work itself out. It may not work itself out the way you planned, or the way you wanted, or the way you expected, but it will work out the way it was meant to be.
And along the way, the right people, at the right time, will be there to guide you and help you when you need it the most. To that wonderful couple in Ireland, I didn't get your names, I didn't get a picture, I don't know anything about you. But you were meant to be where you were when you were needed most. Thank you for being a part of our story! So thankful for faith. And a maybe next time a cell phone holder. Just saying.
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March 2024
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