John Stanko

By the way, I did get an upgrade to business class the other day from Amsterdam to Detroit.  What a blessing that was!  It makes all the difference in how you feel when you arrive.  I sat next to a man, however, who was so drunk by the time we landed that he could not stay awake.  Plus in his drunken state he bought more expensive stuff from the in flight duty-free store than anyone I have ever seen. I thought he was going to talk my ear off until he couldn't remember where he was flying to or where he had come from.  I guess the line from the carol Silent Night applied to him:  "Sleep in heavenly peace."

I used the eight hours flying time to read and watch The Pirates of the Caribbean:  Dead Man's Chest starring Johnny Depp. (I was out of the country when this was released and I never had the time to go to a theater to see it.  I loved the first movie in this series, but this second one wasn't nearly as enjoyable.) I usually don't watch movies while flying because the headset and screen are so hard to hear and see. I also think I can put my time to better use. I thought I would give myself a break, however, from the busy-ness of my last three weeks and I was glad I did.  While the movie got generally bad reviews, I thought it was pretty good.

We arrived early into Detroit, which enabled me to get an earlier flight home to Pittsburgh.  Now I am land bound until the day after Christmas, when Kathryn and I fly out to New Mexico to see our son.  Our daughter is coming to Pittsburgh for Christmas along with my wife's sister Diana.

I hope you will be with family this Christmas but, if not, I pray that the presence of Jesus will fill your life and heart this holiday season.  You are not alone, no matter how few people you are with, because God is with you.  And that truly is the good and happy news of this time of year.