First thing's first: I hope you read "In disguise!" in your best internal melodrama voice.
Second: here's a story.
Two weeks ago I flew home to Spokane from Portland on a certain airline (name withheld to protect its identity). It was a direct flight. I had checked two bags: a work bag, and a bag with all my clothes from the last week. When I arrived in Spokane, my work bag had arrived, but not my clothes. I was stressed and nervous, since it was Friday night and I was leaving on Sunday for another trip, and didn't know if I would have time to do my laundry before I had to leave again. My bag was delivered by 10am the next morning, I had plenty of time to do laundry and re-pack, and all my worry was for naught.
One week later (this past Sunday), I was headed to Portland on another direct flight, once again on same unnamed airline. Again, I checked two bags, and again a bag was lost, but this time it was my work bag. I was glad to have my clothes, being that I was in Portland for the week and didn't have anything else to scrounge up, and that I had high schools to visit starting at 8:00 the next morning. I was stressed, though, to be missing my work bag, which included the materials I had intended to give the school counselors, my computer, and the binder with driving directions for the next week as well as the itinerary I had spent so much time typing up. After an hour or so on my aunt and uncle's computer (at which point my aunt informed me that my travel schedule could be found easily by typing my name into google- helpful to me and scary to her), I had a make-shift itinerary, as well as directions, and lo and behold, my bag arrived in the morning before I had even left for my first visit!
So tonight, when the same unnamed airline lost my bag for the third time in two weeks, I was resolved not to be stressed. The attendant at the lost baggage counter remembered me with a sympathetic smile (I am lucky to have thanked him in person last week after my bag was found the first time, for I made myself a useful friend before I knew I would be needing his help again so soon!), and guess what, ya'll? This is the blessing part of the story. When certain unnamed airline loses a bag, they give you a voucher for some miles. A few days ago I was looking at my mileage statement and lamenting that it would take at least another travel season before I had earned anything worth using toward a flight to Texas, and Travis and I have been recently disappointed that we couldn't afford to go on our own. One lost bag worth of miles wouldn't have really made a dent in the trip. Two wouldn't have done it either. But three lost bags? I don't think you can have three lost bags in two weeks without some sort of divine intervention, and three lost bags, along with the miles I've earned, is a big step toward a ticket to Texas.
In conclusion, tonight has a been a good night. I am home with my little family (for just over 24 hours), I have realized that some mountains really are molehills, and I have been given a miraculous and entirely unexpected way to help my little family visit our bigger family in Texas.
Also, if you are a representative from unnamed airline, I am happy for you to lose my bag again. It's time to work toward Travis' ticket!
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