Is she down there?

I am flying over the Midwest now, en route to Arizona. I can’t wait to get home. There are hundreds of lakes below us, adding glow to the darkening earth at dusk.

The coffee is black because creamer is a white powder. White powder could be anthrax. Right now, two groups of young people that I love are on a weekend retreat. One is in Arizona, the other in North Carolina. I hope their lives will change, becoming more open to God’s love.

This weekend I hung out with a great family, the Wesps. The way the youngest daughter loved their Dad reminded me so much of how us Smith kids loved our Dad. I want to be a Dad. I want a little girl of my own, to love me the way my sisters loved my Dad.

You can see why the family is such a gift from God, the central entity of the Christian faith.

Each terminal is the same. There are dozens of stores stacked with magazines and packed with knickknacks. There’s the coffee stand that charges too much for their dry muffins, over there is the gift shop with local color take-home junk, the trophies of an uneventful journey.

I see the same types of travelers in every airport. There are business travelers, family travelers, and student travelers home for the holiday. Then there are the lovers. As monotonous as flying may be, I am continually fascinated by the reunion of lovers. One stands at the gate, anxious and nervous as the endless parade of travelers march out of the jet way. The other is aching for the time to pass, knowing how close they are to seeing one another. Finally, their eyes connect and the passion ignites. The rest of the world falls away, their hug is the only world they know.

The most beautiful lovers are those who are old. He has a cane and she in a rolling chair, but both were once passionate lovers celebrating life while swimming in the sheets. Their young beauty has passed, but they are still lovers.

The grass is not greener on the other side. This weekend has been good. Life is blessed. I am surrounded by people celebrating love. In the gift of this day, I will celebrate too.