Heartbroken Traveler

Back in August, I told you about feeling led to go on a trip by myself. It was a working vacation and a challenge for me. The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) accepted me for a class that would be held on their Cullowhee campus. I decided to attach a weekend before my class to visit Asheville. It had been years since I had been to that area. 

Now here it is January of 2025 and I am just filling you in on this challenge. I think it has been hard for me to process. So many things have happened since this trip, that I just couldn’t put into words how I felt. 

As for the trip itself, it was wonderful. I did some things that pushed me way out of my comfort zone. For one, I did a rooftop bar tour- by myself. I was the only single person in the group, but I had a good time. Enjoying Asheville from the rooftop perspective was interesting and unique. I learned historical information about the downtown Asheville area, while enjoying a cocktail that was as unique to each bar as the city of Asheville is. Lyft was another adventure for me. I stayed right at Biltmore Village and driving into the downtown area was intimidating for me. Finding a parking place and then having to walk alone in a strange city did not make me comfortable. I have Ubered before with friends, but never alone. Lyft was connected to the hotel app and I decided to give it a try. It worked great! I was able to make my ghost tour easily and return to my hotel as well. During the day, I went to Biltmore. What a treat it was! I did have to use my walker for all of the walking, but that was okay too. That gave me the opportunity to ride in the original Otis elevator that was put in when the house was built. It was gorgeous. I enjoyed my trip to the Biltmore Winery as I had never been before. The entrance tunnel was amazing! I met another teacher that day who knew NCCAT and what I was doing. My ticket also included the Chihuly blown glass exhibit. I had experienced Chihuly before, but it was amazing to see it again. I ran into a friend from high school here too. It’s always amazing that we go far from home and see people we know. After my adventures in Asheville ended, I made my way to Cullowhee by way of Cherokee. I just had to stop at the casino! I had no idea what I was doing, but I enjoyed it. It was loud and crazy, but it was fun to see. All in all, this trip was fantastic. I saw and experienced many new things. 

I never felt uncomfortable or scared. I knew God was with me. I knew he was pushing me out of my comfort zone, but I grew from the experience. He continues to show me that I can do all things through his strength! Even traveling alone!

The reason I didn’t post about this wasn’t because of any of this. It was because I was so heartbroken over the Hurricane Helene tragedy. Just over a month after my trip is when this tragedy struck. I was sucked into the videos and reels of the destruction. Honestly, my mind was blown. Here I had just returned from a trip in that area- stayed at Biltmore Village no less! To think that the things that I saw and did were gone. It was overwhelming for me. 

I know that sounds silly, but sometimes I think God has us go places and experience things because He knows that we need to do this. Not just for us, but because something else we can’t expect is about to happen. While I was visiting this area, I would never have thought that something as devastating as Hurricane Helene would ever do destruction like it did. And then, I pause and think about all the visitors that are in an area when a horrific tragedy hits. I can’t imagine being in that position, but it does happen. I watched a video on a group of young women that had rented an AirBnB and didn’t know what to do. They were saved by some neighbors coming and getting them and directing them to get out over the backside of the mountain. Seeing the landmarks completely destroyed upset me greatly. Because I was just there, I could clearly picture in my mind these places. The images and videos were like a magnet pulling me in and keeping me trapped. 

Now that the fires in Los Angeles have erupted, I think the same thing about this area. I keep seeing the pictures and videos of the chaos. I think of the visitors that were vacationing there. What an experience they had. Not a good one either. 

Many of these things are why I could have stayed home. Something bad could have happened to me. But, if I had gone down that path I would not have pleased God. I know that He wanted me to find my faith and let it become stronger than my fears. He wanted me to push myself out of my comfort zone. He needed me to see that I was stronger than I thought I could be. Not because of me, but because of HIM! What a glorious pecan that is! Knowing that He knows my fears and pushes me forward anyway because He knows I need pushing and He will not forsake me. Even when bad things happen, He will never forsake me or you! Another pecan! When we become heartbroken travelers, He is still with us. We can lean on God and know that he loves us and will lead us. Our hearts only need to rely on God!