The Sunshine State

I booked a standby flight to Tampa not realizing it fell on Easter weekend. Everyone and their mom flies to Florida this week. Therefore, I've been in Tampa International Airport for 4 hours and waiting another 15 for a flight to DC, then back to Harrisonburg.

I came here to visit Jason, one of my best friends growing up. For those of you who know him, yep - he still has a "froggy" voice and can still talk for 6 straight hours without taking a single breath ... and this is why I love him. I grew up making him wear dresses, having joint birthday parties at Chuck E. Cheese, building forts in the woods behind Oak Hill, taking family trips to Busch Gardens, jumping on his trampoline and calling Z104 and asking the radio host to give us a "shout out." This weekend we got to go to Busch Gardens here in Tampa, Clearwater Beach and a bar by his school. Jason's a business major at the University of South Florida. I really, really am so proud of him. I also got to spend the weekend with Jason's brother, Troy and see his parent's for a short time last night.

Being able to spend time with the Honeycutt's was truly a gift this Easter, considering their circumstances. The essence of Easter is hope. Hope that death will not have the final word. Hope that God's plan for a better world will be the plan that works. Hope that all the darkness the world faces today will one day find itself awash in light. Jason's oldest sister, Janelle, was hit by a car on December 8th while she was walking across one of the main highways by their house. Due to brain injuries she's been in an induced medical coma and has been in the hospital for the past 4 months. I know she snapped her fingers this weekend though! Good sign! Jason and Troy told me that their sister's progress, along with their parent's support have been nothing short of a miracle. Sandy and Preston get up EVERY morning to drive to the hospital and spend all day with Janelle. I guess there is no love, like that of a parent for their child. After listening to Troy talk about the past few months, he asked me to imagine what it would be like if my brother were in the same condition. I immediately started to tear up just thinking about it. The love that Sandy, Preston, Troy and Jason have been pouring out to Janelle these past 4 months is truly inspiring. There's SO much hope she will get better soon, that is the essence of Easter.

[http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/janellehoneycutt]

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tunes without the words and never stops at all. -- Emily Dickinson