Happy Easter! After the long winter, the seeds of spring are beginning to appear. We are reminded once again that in our lives we will have times of winter, but spring will come as promised. Spring is a time when one gets the urge to travel with the birds and visit family and friends, renewing old friendships and making new friendships. This past weekend, it was my joy to travel back to my roots and visit family and see many of my old friends from years gone by. Celebrating a 40th wedding anniversary with family was one of the highlights of the journey. Traveling old familiar roads brought back many memories and can give one a bit of nostalgia. Memories, memories!

As I traveled down memory lane, I cannot help but be reminded of that journey to the Holy Land twenty years ago this Holy Week. It was a "touch of heaven" as the seat buckles clicked in place in the mighty jet engines of the Jumbo 747 Star of Bethlehem revved up. And the hearts of over 400 passengers on El Al charter flight 2001 from New York to Tel Aviv began to soar. We all were excited about our mission tour. The Pat Boone Family were our hosts and as the huge blue and white birds bent down the runway, all heads were bowed as Pat Boone led us all in prayer over the plane's intercom. As the star in Bethlehem dipped down, strains of "peace be unto you" a national song of welcome felt the cabin the plane rolled to a halt. We were there. And everywhere we went we were greeted with "shalom." The 400 people on that Pat Boone tour found a new dimension of love the moment they stepped on the grounds of the Holy Land mission in Bethlehem.

We came, we saw, and we were conquered by the love of the precious bent-winged angels and the orphan children in the mission complex. We saw the children we sponsored and gave our gifts of love which warmed their hearts. The voices of these happy orphans over our visit were like chirping birds on the playground on Mount David. They melted your heart and the wellsprings of the human spirit to overflowing joy.

During this Holy Week, as one reflects on this pilgrimage on the 20th anniversary, it is with a warm heart and a thankful one as one is reminded of the events of this week. The journey from Bethlehem to Calvary and then to the empty tomb and the garden is an experience that one can never forget when you return home. The songs sung at the historic and sacred sites still ringing in the ears of those who made the trip. The memory of being greeted everywhere with "shalom" is a prayer for peace in our hearts for the year 1993. Shalom, shalom.

A Warm Thought for the week: When the going gets tough, the peace of God keeps us a-going. Have a joy filled Easter season!

Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea by Dr. Luetta G Werner.

Published in the Canistota Clipper April 8th, 1993.

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I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.

Till next time,

Trina