Peace like a river - part three

David and I woke up early the next morning and began thinking about our day ahead. We packed up and headed to the hotel’s reception area to have breakfast and check out. As I was packing, I noticed a guest comment card, asking for feedback on our experience with the hotel. As I read over it, I was delightfully surprised that they were members’ of a group of Christian run hotels. I knew in my spirit that there was something remarkably different about this hotel, now I knew why.

The reception area was beautifully appointed with Christmas decorations, warm furnishings and a blazing fire roaring in the fireplace. We sat in the dining room and ate a quick bite of breakfast with some enjoyable guests then headed off for another day of adventure.

The day was beautiful and sunny as we headed down through Tennessee and then on to the very corner of Georgia, through Alabama and Mississippi and eventually to our final destination of Louisiana. As we drove through Alabama, there were indications everywhere that the state was being besieged in a sea of red. Flags, signs and football paraphernalia colored the landscape of the state. College football was in its peak season and the “Roll Tide” state was one of the contenders for the big prize of winning the national championship. There was definitely no lack of support or enthusiasm for the state’s favored college team. Since David and I are from Texas, we felt a little odd driving through the “competition’s” territory. You see, Texas was the opposing contender for the national championship. I felt somewhat relieved that I didn’t have any Texas burnt orange or UT stickers on our truck. There’s nothing like finding oneself knee deep in the middle of the adversary’s territory, without having some form of protection. We continued driving stealthily through the state, fortunately, unnoticed.

© Brenda L. Marlin 2010

Peace like a river - part two

Hours went by as we made the long journey southward. We became a little road weary, so we decided to stop right outside Chattanooga, TN and stay at a little hotel just a hop, skip and jump away from the highway. It was convenient to stay there and would allow us the ability to get up bright and early the next morning, get something to eat at their "hot" breakfast bar and then be on the road again.

We had never stayed at this little hotel before, nor was it recommended to us. It was part of a large chain of "highway" hotels, which gave them some credibility in our minds. For David and I, it is always a leap of faith in deciding where we will stay in a town we know nothing about. We tend to like it that way, because we always discover something new on our adventures. After checking in, we were quite surprised by the coziness of the surroundings of the hotel and the interior of our room. In all the road hotels we have stayed in before, none conveyed the same level of charming personality as this one.

After being on the road all day and night, I am surprised I noticed much of anything, but once in the room something out of the ordinary caught my tired eyes. To my delight, I saw a Bible sitting on top of the nightstand conveniently placed near the reading chair. "Refreshing", I thought to myself. I usually have to open the drawer to see whether or not the hotel agrees with my opinion on having a Gideon Bible in the room. It used to be a given, but now-a-days, that is not always the case. I knew this hotel property must be different and made a mental note to check it out in the morning. Sleep was top of mind now and David and I were ready for it.

© Brenda L. Marlin 2010