Friends,

I was recently asked the question: who am I racing?

Looking at the mountains or the ocean or the faces of my children—beauty is glory and an end in itself. It points to a creator. And in the best way, it reminds me how small I am.

Small, but not insignificant. You are not insignificant either.

Beauty forces a recognition, at least for me, that good things weren’t made to die. That death—and the wretched dissonance it creates—is not natural.

Which is why the story of Jesus is so compelling: His life marked the end of death.

Whew. I went deep there for a second.

So, airline miles. How does this connect to airline miles?

It doesn’t. Not materially, anyway.

But there is goodness in the going—in leaving the harbor to remember my lack of control, the wonder of the wild, and the beauty of a world full of God’s good design.

Which brings me to Father’s Day.

When it comes to parents, I won the lottery (thank you again, Randy Pausch). It’s a privilege and a joy to celebrate my dad, my grandfather Papa, and father-in-law. My dad has taught me many things—but most of all, he gave me a deep sense of identity. Not just in who I am, but in who I’m becoming.

His acceptance of me gave me the courage to accept and understand myself. And that’s a gift beyond words.

It’s easy to live distracted—focused on things that don’t matter. I do this all the time. But real life is in the hard, everyday work.

Beauty is there too—in the extraordinary ordinary, where transformation happens and joy exists.

Slowing down gives me space to see that clearly.

I’m not racing anyone.

And I am beloved by God in Christ Jesus.

You are, too.

Fly well.

P.S. You, dear reader, are the best. Regular programming, plus some fun new additions, are coming soon. Thank you for your patience as I figure this out. I am (seriously) really glad to fly with you here.

Links

JSX is getting turboprops. I can’t wait to try one of these, and am just glad they are still in business.

Air India is reducing international wide body flying by 15% due to both current geopolitical realities and and the recent (tragic) crash of AI171.

What does an all-inclusive $125/night in Las Vegas get you this summer? This is a very fun WSJ read.

A Delta miracle and the new-ish BOS Delta One Lounge looks really great; I cannot wait to try one — SEA opens up later this month.