Linda J. Humes

“And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”  Revelation 4:8

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On a recent vacation we traveled to California to visit family members not seen for too many years.  The Northern California cultures and obvious lifestyle was such a change from our South Phoenix home.

We were completely overwhelmed by the large numbers of people at every turn.  Traffic was bumper to bumper and lines at stores had to be a delight to the owners.  Remarkably, we saw few confrontations because of these inconveniences, something I cannot brag about in our hometown.  People there seemed to accept the inconvenience as a way of life, just the way things are.

Although I didn’t notice outbursts of frustration, neither did I notice outbursts of pleasantries.  People moved about much like ant colonies, each with a place to go and a job to do, no time to chitchat, no time to stop.

Shopping in San Francisco shops was an experience.  When you weren’t quick enough at choosing a souvenir in their overcrowded gift shops, someone would move over to assist you, pulling out articles from shelves, showing you hidden merchandise, color after color, then moving you quickly to the cash register line.  I had to sit back and laugh at the adventure and wonder if we frustrated them as much as they frustrated us, all under the guise of a smile.

But of all the interesting things that happened, one 2-½ minute section of time touched me the most.  On our way back from lunch with family we hadn’t seen in 20 years, we decided to cross the Golden Gate Bridge.  Our boys had never seen the bridge and were excited as it began to come into view.  They were blessed with the opportunity to study that bridge for quite a while, as we weren’t the only family that had the idea.  We crawled, bumper to bumper, for miles before the bridge.  My oldest son hung out the car window, snapping pictures of the bridge, Alcatraz Island, the city coastline, trees, you name it; anything to stay busy.

Not far from the bridge we had to pass through a tunnel.  It was a tiled arched tunnel, marked and stained with age.  I remembered the tunnel from my youth and the magic that seemed to spring to life as cars drove through – the lights passing by overhead and the long sounding honk as we swished under.  Had it changed?

Almost as soon as we entered the tunnel the faces of the drivers began to change.  First one car honked, then another.  Three short bursts, followed by three more from another car – soon the tunnel swelled with an orchestra of patterns and phrases.  People began to interact and play together, windows came down, laughter joined in, frustration left the faces of even the most distraught.  For 2 ½ minutes they were children again, enjoying a moment of comradery with 50 complete strangers while creeping bumper to bumper in a tunnel – and enjoying every second of it.

All too soon the tunnel ended and the honking stopped, except for one lone car that would give 3 short bursts every once in a while, looking to see if anyone would join in outside of the tunnel – no one did.

As I reflected back I wondered if that experience might be a little bit like what Heaven is going to be?  The cars will be replaced by white robes and the horns by voices.  Instead of 3 short bursts of beep, beep, beep there will be long melodic arias of Holy, Holy, Holy.  Every face will be happy, we will once again feel the joy of childhood and the safety of our Father’s House.

Thank you Lord, for that glimpse of what treasures lie ahead.  Thank you for a 2 ½ minute jewel today.

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By Linda J. Humes

Written 6/25/2001

From **A Walk To Gethsemane**

Tags: Bridge, Comradery, Frustration, Heaven, Joy, People, Revelation, San Francisco