Family

 We made our way through the cluttered hallways under construction of the O'Hare airport International wing.  Dozens of languages were being spoken and as it was 11:30 at night, everyone was starting the journey tired.  

Airport shuttles to hotels are still discontinued in Chicago due to Covid. So we had to park two cars in airport parking for 12 days.  That won't be cheap. 

The lines were long and excruciatingly slow with over an hour just to get baggage checked in.  

They had to check passports.  They had to check vaccination records/Covid tests.  Then they had to input all the informations.

Suitcases had to be weighed and items shuffled from one bag to another so that every bag was under 50 lb.  We are flying with a lot of teen and young adult girls.  That's a lot of stuff! 

Then we had to make it through security.  Every airport's rules are a bit different.  In Chicago you take your shoes off and dump out water bottles before you get ON the plane.  Electronics come out of bags.

In Doha, Qatar you leave your shoes on but dump out your water getting OFF the plane.  (If you forget you will need to stand there and drink the water like George did).  Electronics stay in bags this time.  

We have completed our first 13.5 hr flight and now settle in for an 8 hour layover.  

We have put in lots of overtime, planning, and sacrificing so we can have this adventure as a family. There have been lots of small "no's" so that we could afford this big "yes".  It took discipline and diligence and some good fortune.  Traveling is especially hard on two of us.  We feel like it is worth it for us to explore the beauty of the world and create memories together.  We aren't perfect but we keep on trying. 

Our flight was full of people anxiously traveling to see family they have been unable to visit for years in some cases. 

Like the Iraqi couple taking their 2 year old to Baghdad to meet their family they haven't been able to see in years.  

I was thinking about them spending so much time and resources to make the journey.  They know that their family is worth it.

Am I as willing to do and sacrifice whatever it takes to insure that I can be with my family forever someday? 

It is true that there are parts of obeying the commandments that sometimes require long periods of patience, of inconvenience and of giving up on immediate rewards in exchange for future ones based on faith.  

It is also true that we can't do it alone but we can with the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.

As Russell M Nelson so eloquently taught, 

“In a coming day, you will present yourself before the Savior. You will be overwhelmed to the point of tears to be in His holy presence. You will struggle to find words to thank Him for paying for your sins, for forgiving you of any unkindness toward others, for healing you from the injuries and injustices of this life. “You will thank Him for strengthening you to do the impossible, for turning your weaknesses into strengths, and for making it possible for you to live with Him and your family forever. His identity, His Atonement, and His attributes will become personal and real to you."

It is easy to say the words that family is important.  We back those words up by how we live and follow Jesus Christ.