I'd learned this lesson before on numerous occassions, but it was one I was learning again. I shook my head in disbelief at my stupidity, what was I thinking? Now I was paying the price for my bad decision.
So what was my error? I had chosen to fly to Indianapolis on United through Chicago's O'Hare airport. Here's the lesson I'd learned many times in the past and was now being taught again, DON'T FLY UNITED ANYWHERE THROUGH O'HARE. So I sat in the Springfield Missouri airport wondering if I could even get to my Indianapolis meeting the next day.
The brand new Springfield airport is an interesting place. Ten gates makes it about the size of one of Eppley's two terminals. I had just glanced up at the TV which was on the Weather Channel when I saw a line of clouds approaching Chicago. I know from experience that just the threat of clouds is enough to send O'Hare into a tailspin. Only a minute later the announcement comes over the public address system, " United Airlines Flight 629 to Chicago has been cancelled." Cancelled? Really? On just the threat of a few clouds? EEESCH.
I looked around the empty terminal. Just two other guys were booked for this flight from what I could see. I then thought the honest announcement should have gone something like this, "Based on only having three people purchase tickets, United has decided it is better for us to cancel your flight. To bad for you because we're going to blame this on the weather so don't be asking us for a free lunch or a hotel for the evening- don't ask us for anything! And thank you for choosing United."
So the three of us weary travelers headed for the United desk - back in the main lobby, back through security whose number of employees exceeded the total number of travelers in the entire airport. Long story short, I ended up watching another three hours of the weather channel and flying to Dallas to get to Indy - arriving at my hotel at 1:30 AM. A stiff but fair punishment for my poor United decision.
Flying home the next day I again was punished for flying through O'Hare. This time I got to Chicago but when I arrived, the board didn't show a time for my Omaha flight. Instead it said 'Servicing Jet' in the time spot. Let me tell you if you ever see that comment, don't expect to leave anywhere near on-time. What that ended up meaning to me was an after midnight arrival at home. Ahhhh, the joys of business travel.
I'll let you make your own analogy when it comes to faith lessons you've learned and forgotten. In the end, as in THE END, forgetting those lessons could mean more than a delay to our final destination - it might mean ending up in a less desireable destination. Enough said. Hope to see you all on that FINAL flight to our exciting, exotic eternal home - which luckily won't go through Chicago!
Blest Regards,
Keith
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