~Farewell to Owego~

Hello everyone from Broome County, New York~the city of Binghamton to be exact.  Ursela and I made our way from Owego towards noon time today, deciding it would be better to spend the night here and be closer to our final destinations before departing tomorrow.  Now we are settled in our motel room and after a while will head out to make sure we can find the bus station for Ursela and the airport for me.  There have been many twists and turns in this "unplanned" part of the journey but we have made it by sticking together.  Tomorrow as we each go our separate ways it will be, of course, with a twinge of sadness and certainly a bit of uncertainty but I am positive that we will both make it to our final destinations along this trip.

This morning before leaving Tioga County, we spent time with the students and staff of St. Patrick School in Owego.  I made an early morning run to the local Dunkin Donuts store and grabbed 4 boxes of their speciality donuts as treats from the kids back at Lincoln Elementary.  Because a group of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students from St. Patrick had written to our 4th graders, I wanted to visit them and bring to them personal greetings from their friends in Kansas.  We ended up spending nearly all the morning with them and I can tell you that it did THIS teacher's heart a lot of good to be around the very kind of people that always make me happy~kids!

In each of the classrooms that I visited, I asked the kids to tell me what they already knew about the state of Kansas.  Their responses were interesting to say the least and many of them brought a much needed smile to my weary face.  Questions like, "Is Dorothy really there?", "Are there lots of buffaloes in Kansas?", "Who is the biggest giggler in the 4th grade class?" and "Do you have lots of tornadoes where you live?" were all very good ones.  I tried to explain that L. Frank Baum in his book "The Wizard of Oz" relied upon the reader's imagination to conjure up this image of the "Great and Powerful Oz".  And although it would be nice at this point in time to click my ruby red slippers together and say "there's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home", THAT isn't going to happen either.  

I was able to ask them a few questions of my own about their great state as well as the school they went to.  One of the students noticed my St. Christopher's medal around my neck and I told them that I was a Lutheran not a Catholic but that a very good friend gave it to me to have in my travels.  That led us on to them all telling me which saint they had chosen for their confirmation and it was really quite interesting to hear all of the different ones.  Not one student had the same saint's name and even though I thought I knew most of the saints, I heard some new and different names today.  St. Patrick's, being a Catholic  parochial school, is quite different from the elementary school that I teach at back home in Kansas.  Their students wear uniforms, attend mass on Fridays and learn about their faith during religion class each day. 

 But even with our differences, one thing I noticed right off the get-go was that no matter where you may go, "kids are kids" and I missed being home a little bit less this morning because of that very fact.  To the students and staff at St. Patrick's, I thank you for making me feel at home today, like I really was welcomed there.  I will not forget your kindness, my new friends.

Well, the night time has now fallen and the day has flown by as quickly as can be.  Ursela is busy repacking her suit case and I will need to do the same very soon.  We each are going different ways tomorrow~certainly not in the original plan.  It's almost as if a new adventure has begun for us and I gotta say, I kinda would have preferred the "old one".  Friends, I have always believed in the power of people praying for one another.  I know that it works~And I also know that it's ok to ask for specific prayers for one another and if you don't mind, I'm going to ask for prayer tonight.

Tomorrow, Ursela needs to be at the bus station by 9 in the morning.  I'm going to drop her off on my way to the airport.  She'll have to wait until the bus leaves at 11 and will be on the bus until it gets into New York City at 2:50.  My niece Jessica will meet her there and guide her along the way.  Once she gets there, she'll be fine.  Please, if you would be so inclined to do so, pray for her to be safe and well along the way, that no harm would come to her.  I'm so glad that she is going ahead without me.  Sorry that it must be so yet at least she will get to see a place that not everyone will dream to see in their lifetime.

As for me, I know what I need~Please dear friends, I need safe passage at the airport in Washington, D.C.  With my ribs messed up, I know that I could never get to where I need to be on time there.  I pray that there will be someone there who will wheel me at "lightning speed" to whatever gate it is that I need to be at and to get me there on time.  At this point in time, Kansas (a flatlander's paradise) is looking mighty fine to me.  I pray to be able to make it.

Have a good night's rest everyone out there.   Take care of yourselves and one another.  We are definitely in this together!  There's a good chance that in the years to come I'll be laughing about all of this but right now, it's not all that funny.  Crossing the "pass" at Monarch on the way to Mike's house in Montrose is starting to look easier all the time :)  

Thank you to my new and very good friend, Diana Higdon Chandler of Owego, NY for you hospitality and help during the past two days.  How wonderful to meet you and I must say I admire your style!  So good to know you in person instead of only on Facebook.

Thanks as well to my new and also very good friend, Mayor Kevin Millar (that's Miller with an "a" instead of an "e".)  The village of Owego, New York is blessed to have you as their advocate my friend.  Thank you for your kindness to me in everything that I have done in planning for this journey.  As of this morning, we are strangers no more~

And last but not least, to the dear children and staff at St. Patrick School in Owego, my heartfelt thanks for allowing both my daughter and I to visit you this morning.  Your smiles and laughter were the best "medicine" this hurting and tired teacher could have had today.  I wish you all the very best in this life now and always.