departure, layovers, + a story

I left my house this morning just before four AM -- it was early but certainly not bright. Waking up and getting ready without any light outside is a foreign feeling to me, a "born-and-raised" night owl; I honestly cannot imagine how some of you early workers do it every day/week. LAX is rather empty at five in the morning, I've found, and the drive there is short (thank goodness)!

Watching the sunrise while waiting for the airplane to board stirred up many thoughts and feelings, the most persistent being a nearly tangible sense of the gospel (I'll explain what I mean, I promise).
Looking out the window towards Los Angeles, all I could see was darkness; a darkness that seemed to anticipate a dawning. There were glimmers of lights casting an insignificant glow on the ground insofar as they could reach, but the sky itself was unaffected by these meek attempts, causing the overwhelming mood to be heavy. These lights told me a story, however, of something greater than themselves that was to come -- and these lights, though much smaller than their successor, bore its image in their vessels, albeit tainted. When the sun began to rise, it was not subtle nor was it gradual. You could not miss its arrival. The entirety of the sky and the earth below it were immediately affected by its light. We boarded the plane and I sat down by the window, next to my mother. I lifted the shade and was somewhat blinded by the presence of the fireball coming up out of the horizon. The radiance drew me to itself, though, and I loved the feeling of the light on me.
Some of you know the picture of Christ I am attempting to portray; perhaps some of you don't. I wish to tell you who are unaware in great depth the meaning, for it is so deep, but as I sit here in Chicago O'Hare the time to board my flight to Madrid is nearing & I must be brief.
I will leave you with a scripture from the book of Isaiah and pray that the Lord will give you an understanding of all that I write.

"Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising." Isaiah 60:1-3

You'll be hearing from me in Venice!
Em

My mother + I saying our final farewells