Skywriter!

Last month my husband took our family to Orlando to visit a bunch of famous characters our kids and grandkids know well -- or at least they feel like they know them well. We rented a home with a heated pool and an outdoor grill just three miles from where these characters hang out. Fifty-six homes in the subdivision were for sale; hence the cost was about one fourth of staying on the property where the characters live. The whole trip -- every hassle, every dime -- was worth it. Highlights of this vacation included feeling a little “goofy” as we “Mickey-moused” around. Also, meeting a princess and getting Buzz Lightyear’s autograph were magical!

Another highlight was really high -- way up high, that is. Our daughter Jennifer’s husband, Phil, didn’t join us until later in the week, and his kids could hardly wait for Dad to get there. One day when they were swimming in the backyard, his daughter Emma pointed to the sky, exclaiming, “Look, it’s a drawing!”

And so it was. A skywriter had drawn a very clear smiley face, then continued into the letter J. Someone said, “It’s Phil. He misses Jennifer so much he’s having her name written in the sky to let her know.” Sure enough, the next letter was E. That’s when Emma declared that it wouldn’t be her mother’s name. “It’s going to be J-e-s-u-s!” And it was, in the end, the word “Jesus!” Emma was in awe.

After spending time and resources to get to this wonderful holiday, our real joy was absolutely free up in the air for all to see: J-E-S-U-S. What a great reminder! My son joked, “It wasn’t Phil; it was Mom!” I laughed, too. If that’s how he sees me now, as lifting Jesus higher, I pray when my own name is but a vanishing vapor in this world, he’ll remember the One I taught him about at my knee, the One who loves you and me. Vapor letters fade, but Jesus wants to be closer than a brother. Now that’s awesome. Take Him up on it!