A Christmas Journey

“Can I come over right now?”

I frowned at the text from our neighbor Blanca.

“Sure. The house is a mess but come on in. Is everything okay?”

A moment later she knocked on the door. I swung it open and she came in, settling on the carpet beside Anina in the middle of a salvage yard of red, yellow, green and blue baby toys.

Anina beamed with importance, in keeping with her primary priority in life: get attention, whatever the cost.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“Well, you know I said I would come over before we go to Mexico for Christmas.”

I inhaled. Surely nothing had happened to the big Mexico trip. For the first time in 25 years, because she finally got her paperwork (here’s the post about that miraculous event, if you missed it), Blanca was planning to go to Mexico. For Christmas. Leaving the 21st of December. Her 16 month old son, teenage daughter, sister and parents planned to go along. It was the first time she would see her childhood country in all those years.

More importantly, it was the first time she would see her aging grandmother, her source of inspiration, affection, and encouragement in her growing up years. Her grandmother had been married to a tyrant who was unfaithful and cruel to her, only to return to her in his old age so she could take care of him. Yet, Blanca’s grandmother had forgiven him, and attended to him.

“We are going. But my grandmother is sick,” Blanca said. “My cousin who is watching her told the family to come see her yesterday. She thinks she might be dying.”

Just 10 days before Blanca’s first visit to her homeland in 25 years.

“No!”

“Yeah. So we are going tomorrow. My Mom and I and my son.”

For a $500 change fee, they had adjusted the tickets and would be leaving the next day. But would they make it?

“My husband told me that I need to trust God with the outcome. It was God who worked out my papers, so I need to trust him no matter what happens. And be strong for our son.”

She hurried home to clean and pack, telling Anina she would bring her a giant hair bow, a Mexico specialty.

Sunday evening at about 10pm, I looked at the clock. They should be there by now. Had they made it? I doubted her phone would work for me to send a message.

The next day, curiosity got the better of me, and I text Blanca’s husband.

Did they make it? Was her grandmother still alive?

“Yes still alive.” In fact, she was doing a little better, he said. “They made it Mexico. Thanks for asking.”

Blanca didn’t take a camel to Mexico. She didn’t have to ask King Herod for directions, and she wasn’t looking for a King. I don’t think she took gold, frankincense, or myrrh to her grandmother.

But, like the wise men, I bet she worshipped God when she arrived at her destination and found the one she sought.

What is the Brady Street Boys series? Based on the fruit of the Spirit, it is expected to have 9 books. Trapped in the Tunnel is Book One. Here is the series description:

Terry, Gary and Larry Fitzpatrick live in northern Indiana along the St. Joseph River. President Reagan lives in the White House. Gasoline costs 90 cents a gallon. For families like the Fitzpatricks, computers and cell phones are still things of the future. The boys’ Christian parents teach them to pray and give them a project to learn the fruit of the Spirit. They help Gary navigate the pain of losing his leg and his firefighting dreams.

But having a wooden leg doesn’t keep Gary from adventures. With Terry the acrobat, and Larry the brain, Gary begins a quest to find an answer to the most important mystery of all.

What happened to the surgeon who amputated Gary’s leg, and has now disappeared?