Two weekends ago, TCLH and I took a road trip to Patras and Athens, Greece. Patras is about 9 hours from Tirana whereas Athens is about 2.5 hours beyond that.

In Patras we stayed with two of TCLH’s cousins who have lived there for over 18 years. I asked the wife of one cousin who had lived there 6 years (since getting married) if she enjoyed the beaches around Patras, knowing that many of the Greek beaches are fabulous vacation spots. To my surprise, she answered, “I’ve never been to the beach.”  I could hardly believe my ears.

The next day, we traveled to Athens and my hubby’s cousin accompanied us to show us the sights. While hiking up to the Acropolis, laughing he revealed how he had never actually hiked up to the Acropolis in all of his years of living there.

People from all over the world travel on planes anywhere from 8 – 20 hours to see these ancient and renown ruins of Greece. And yet those who live there may not even give them a second thought, much less take the time to visit and enjoy them.

TCLH and I have reflected on the fact that even though we’ve lived in Tirana for many years, we’ve never been to the National Museum that so many foreigners visit during their short stay in Albania.

Why is it that, those things we have easily accessible, we take the most for granted?

Do we truly treasure the things that are readily available– whether material things, natural wonders, or even relationships with family and friends living nearby?

Are we grateful for the rich relationships we have in our lives or only come to realize how precious they are when they are gone?

What things or people or places are you taking for granted? Have you visited some of the nearby ‘treasures’ (art galleries, botanical gardens, skyscrapers, museums, etc.) at your doorstep?

You don’t have to wait for Aunt Betty to come visit to go see the Sears Tower’s new skywalk– take time to savor these ‘doorstep treasures’ with loved ones today!

I recently flew back from Chicago to Albania via London, thus completing 2 full trips aboard British Airways which required navigating the Gatwick-Heathrow (& vice-versa) connection.

While I’ve had positive experiences flying Lufthansa and other airlines, currently British is offering the best prices from Albania to the U.S. with a savings of around $300.

There are, however, a couple of snags along the way.

The main snag is having to transfer from Gatwick to Heathrow Airports on your own dime AND needing to pick up your bags and re-check them after you make the transfer.

This is highly inconvenient. In the past I’ve always checked my bags all the way through to my final destination. When TCLH and I first traveled with BA from Albania to Chicago 2 years ago, our bags didn’t make it to Chicago. Why, we wondered, as we called different airports trying to locate our bags? The main reason is that we were supposed to collect them at Gatwick where we arrived in London and personally haul them over to Heathrow for our outbound flight to Chicago. We wrongly assumed that BA would transfer them from one airport to another. (Lugging 3 suitcases and 2 carry-ons with us certainly would have dampered our traipse around the city to see London’s sights in our less-than-6-hour layover).

So this is definitely a consideration for those traveling with lots of luggage or kiddos in tow.

But, if you do have this type of connection: U.S. city to Heathrow, then Gatwick to final destination or vice-versa, please keep these tips in mind.

1. Make sure you have enough time to make the transfer.

3-4 hours between flights should be a safe amount of time to transfer, but no less than 3, so check with your travel agent about transfer times before buying your ticket.

2. Use “National Express” Coach to make your transfer.

There is no direct train to transfer you from one airport to another.  National Express Coach runs approximately every 10 to 15 minutes and the trip lasts a little more than an hour.

3. Buy your National Express ticket upon arrival at Gatwick or Heathrow airport.

I bought my online one day in advance, but discovered that it was unnecessary and locked me into a specific time slot, limiting my options. Also, had my flight been delayed en route to London, I could have missed my bus’ departure time and incurred a fee to change times. I ended up waiting an hour for my specific time/bus and could have left sooner had a I bought a ticket upon my arrival at the airport. The National Express ticket counter is easy to locate after you’ve picked up your bags at baggage claim. The current cost for a single, one-way coach ticket is 19.50 GBP or about $32 USD. A round-trip ticket costs 36 GBP, giving you a small savings.

4. Luggage Carts: have appropriate coins on hand.

At Heathrow Airport, Terminal 5 (the new, glitzy international airport): no coins are required to use the luggage carts which is a nice convenience.

At Gatwick, North Terminal: have a “1 euro” or “1 pound” coin ready to use the luggage carts.

5. Make sure you know which Terminal your flight arrives at and have an understanding of the airport layout before you arrive.

London Heathrow has 5 Terminals. (To view the Heathrow Airport Guide showing the breakdown of airlines at different terminals, click here.)

Gatwick has 2 Terminals: North and South. (Gatwick Airport Guide: click here.)

This is important to know when making your transfer with National Express Coach as well.

6. Be prepared to go through security after transferring airports.

It is almost like checking-in from the very beginning. You have to check your bags, finish that latte you’re drinking, make sure any liquids or creams are in clear, plastic bags and go through the security check. At Gatwick, there are two separate security checks– one for your bags and then one for your shoes.

Here are a few links to make traveling through London’s Heathrow & Gatwick Airports easier:
1. Heathrow-Gatwick Transfer Tips (London Tool Kit)
2. Heathrow Airport Official Website
3. Travels with Sheila.com- one gal’s experience connecting within Heathrow’s 5 terminals– the moral of her story: make sure you have enough transfer time!

Photo by: Nina Chantrasmi

I would love to pack these stores & restaurants and take them with me to Albania:

1. Costco
2. The Cheesecake Factory
3. Carson Pirie Scott
4. Panera Bread
5. The Arlington Heights Memorial Library (though not a store or restaurant, I would love to take this wonderful library back to Albania)
6. Barnes and Noble
7. Target
8. Trader Joe’s
9. Walker Brothers Original Pancake House
10. PF Chang’s

(P.S. They are not in any particular order)

(P.S.S. TCLH would include Best Buy)

Photo by: David Ruiz

I’m on the Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship as I write this. It may seem odd to write about contentment when I’m on a luxurious cruise ship (after all, the Apostle Paul wrote about contentment from prison), eating all the food I could ever imagine, enjoying a thermal spa daily, being able to exercise in the gym at any hour of the day on top-of-the-line machines, and viewing entertaining programs on a nightly basis– comedy, acrobatic displays and wonderful dancing. But the Apostle Paul said that he learned to be content whether he was in want or had plenty.

Contentment seems like something you need to strive towards when you’re in want– when you’ve lost your job or your finances are caving in, or your air conditioning just broke and the outside temps bulge above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It makes sense to talk about the key to contentment in those circumstances, right? But when you are tasting ‘abundance’– is it normal to struggle with contentment then?

Am I content you wonder as I cruise along on this small city-like ship visiting the beautiful ports of Alaska? Though I certainly would mention on my “cruise feedback slip” that service could be faster at the Summer Palace dining room (the particular dining room that reminds me of scenes from “The Titanic” in terms of it’s fancy decor) I really am very content and extremely thankful for God’s generosity towards me through my mom, who took me on this cruise.

But I haven’t always experienced contentment when having plenty.

Flashback to the summer of 1992.

I spent 6 weeks on a mission trip during the summer break sandwiched between my junior & senior year in college, in the “just-emerging-from-Communism” country of Albania. Albanians were experiencing freedom for the first time in over 40 some years and the country was in a tumultuous time of transition as they tried to set up structures of democracy. I remember there were very few shops open, 1 or 2 cars on the road in the capital city, people waiting in line for bread, and very scarce provisions all around. It was a summer that opened my eyes to people living with far less than what I was used to growing up in the suburbs of Chicago.

As our time came to an end after 6 intensely beautiful weeks in the country and we boarded the plane to leave Albania, when the stewardess handed out the meal and accompanying plastic wrapped set of utensils and napkins, I began to cry as I touched the napkins because we hadn’t touched a paper napkin during our entire stay in Albania– and then receiving one on the plane that came wrapped in its own plastic shell seemed like such an undeserved privilege that I felt truly guilty. I promised myself that I would pray for Albania every time I took a shower, considering how fortunate I was to have hot running water with perfect pressure at any time of the day, something that we had lacked during our 6 weeks there. I didn’t want to forget the harsher realities that my new Albanian friends endured all the time as they lived constantly in what I would consider a “state of want” rather than plenty.

Another memory I have is the “reverse culture shock” I encountered upon arriving back in the U.S. I didn’t experience the culture shock one might expect upon entering Albania– I guess I had been preparing for the worst and was pleasantly surprised that Albania was better than I expected. But the reverse culture shock really hit me hard. Seeing the abundance of things (and especially the waste) in the U.S– food, electricity, appliances, paper cups (I cried over a McDonald’s paper cup in Germany en route from Tirana to Chicago), rolls upon rolls of plush & colorful toilet paper, the glitter and colors in store malls bombarded my eyes as I re-entered my home culture.

I remember feeling judgmental toward others– because they had so much and didn’t even realize how much of the world lived without– wardrobes of clothes and shoes that encompassed a whole room that we call a closet– and I’d think of my Albanian friends who had maybe one or two special outfits that they took great lengths to care for so that they would last that much longer.

A few days after I got back, my mom said something about wanting to will to me some of her special family heirlooms of jewelry. My response was brazen and accusatory, like, “those are meaningless, I don’t want your heirlooms”– everything seemed so excessive to me– and I was feeling guilty for having plenty– for growing up in a country that was abundantly blessed, for having certain privileges that I knew my Albanian friends hadn’t experienced before.

So Paul’s words penned while in prison were comforting yet challenging to me as I needed to ‘learn to be content’ even in plenty, in abundance, when all of my needs were met and then some.

“Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” (Philippians 4:11-13, The Message)

Paul says that contentment is something that we learn. Integral to Paul’s ‘recipe’ of happiness whether full or hungry was the central ingredient of focusing on Jesus, the One who provides enabling strength to face whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.

I’ve discovered that a thankful and generous heart is also key to experiencing contentment in both situations. When I’m in want– the times in Albania when we lose electricity unexpectedly, have no water to shower at a convenient time of the day, or am unable to enjoy a favorite fruit like blueberries or find the perfect-fitting clothes without a Carson’s nearby– having an attitude of gratitude lifts my heart out of self-pity and reminds me to focus on all that I do have. And being generous with my finances, time or possessions frees me from guilt when I am living with plenty– it is the key that opens the door of joy–  and helps me to be free from “attachment” to things so that what I ‘posses’ does not posses me.

When I’m experiencing plenty– like being on this amazing cruise ship where someone else makes my bed, cleans my room, and prepares my meals daily– I don’t need to feel guilty– again, having a thankful heart reminds me that every good and perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows (James 1:17).

Though my circumstances frequently change– my Heavenly Father does not– and He knows how to best provide for my needs, taking care of the most intimate details of my life, and He delights in lavishing His love and care for me, in situations of both want and plenty.

P.S. Thanks, Mom, for the wonderful cruise, and yes, I’d enjoy those special heirlooms one day!

Have you ever struggled with having too much? What has helped you experience contentment in those situations? I’d love to hear your comments on this topic!

Photos by: 1. Tamara Doci, 2. Brad Harrison