Travel is part of the deal. For many people who want to be with someone they love during the holidays, there is the hassle of getting there. Our own plans included ten airport runs, and the inescapable security protocols. Our youngest daughters are experienced with customs, and navigating the languages of multiple cities. But it does not make them immune to having their belongings riffled through by strangers, or having to bolt through the terminal with forty pounds of stuff. It seems that the whims of fortune can smile or frown on you in an annoyingly random fashion. 

 

Yet despite the time zones, and delays, and crowded terminals, eight of our dear children and their besties have gathered for the better part of a week. What are the odds? I am humbled simply that they faced them. As the one who mostly stayed put, I tried to listen as they unraveled the frustration of having a gift confiscated that was bought in a duty-free store, or the relief of finally taking off, or gratitude over a decadent dessert at 30,000 feet. 

 

Journeys are embedded in the Christmas story, too. For the wise men, it was a pursuit not of Someone they already knew, but wanted to. The shepherds had scant directions to guide them to the manger, and yet they found their way. Joseph took his family on a nighttime flight not out of celebration, but to escape danger. 

 

My hope for you is that you are where you need to be. And that if you aren't, that you find the resolve to get there.