Providence. Pilgrimage. Part one.

I don't think it's at all exaggerating to say that my life would not be where it is now had I not gone on a Pilgrimage to Israel back in October 2018.

You see, International travel was not at all on my radar. Up to that point I had never spent more than two days away from my family, travel can be very expensive, and oh yeah, I have a debilitating fear of flying. So how in the world did I end up on an eleven hour flight to Tel Aviv?! It comes down to one simple word....Providence.

While I have always been Catholic, I was recently (2015) confirmed as an adult through the R.C.I.A program at St Thomas Aquinas University Parish  which is served by Dominican Friars. The friar that taught the class was assigned to a different parish and we've been staying in contact through email ever since.  At some point in 2017 he shared how excited he was that his parish was going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and he would be going! Over the next couple of months we would discuss how awesome this trip was going to be for him and he casually invites me to come along as well, to which I reply without hesitation "No way, because airplanes!" He replies, "Well, why don't you pray about it?"

So here is where the Providence starts to kick in....

Even though I had already made my decision to never get on an overseas flight, I did pray about the pilgrimage, which inspired me to ask my friends if they would go if they were me.  Sigh. They all said they would absolutely go. Every last one of them. My husband suggested I go talk about the trip with the only person we knew personally who has actually been there, my mother in law.  She said she loved her trip and would consider going again. She asks me when the trip is scheduled, I say "October".  She asks when exactly in October and I reply with the dates from the website. She consults her iPad then looks up at me and says, "Good, I have nothing else planned, I'm coming with you!" 

Wait?! what just happened?!