Leaving on a Jet Plane!

As I type my nieces, Deborah and Jackie will be taking off from Gatwick Airport for an 8 day stay with my sister, their mum, in Turkey. This is a regular trip which they make several times a year but has yet to lose its excitement...the countdown of 'sleeps' on Facebook, the preparations, the packing, the departure lounge, the take off. Exciting to share from a distance too, with just a touch of envy.
One of the members of our church will be jetting off to Cyprus for 10 days next Monday to be at her son's wedding. We have shared in the preparations for this trip too...the passport, the ticket, the dress for the wedding, the gold sandals, the packing. (The packing was done weeks ago, Joyce likes to be prepared!)
We are beginning preparations for our own 'jetting off' too. Preparations that begin for me with three weeks exam marking to finance the air fare to Cape Town in October. We are planning to return for two weeks to attend the Summit Conference of Harvester Churches and spend time with those very dear friends we have over there. So, although October is a long way away we are still excited at the prospect. There will definitely be 3 of us and hopefully 4 boarding the flight.
I can't leave this post without some mention of the hit record that is the title of this blog. Peter, Paul and Mary...their song always transports me to another place, not a place that any jet plane can actually take me...back to a Christmas Day in my 15th (?) year...we were a family of 5 adults and I was the youngest but that didn't stop us all from being too excited to sleep and we were up at 4am unwrapping all the presents that were stashed under the tree. It was a wonderful Christmas, so full of laughter, so many presents, the biggest being a Kenwood Major food mixer for my sister which sat in a box the size of a house with a bow as big as a top hat proudly sitting on top of it.,..so exciting. Mind you, the early start took its toll and my dad and Christopher, my brother-in-law, had to go back to bed for a bit more sleep as we women folk prepared the Christmas dinner. One of the presents was the aforementioned record and Chris and I loved it and played it over and over singing along clutching our hair-brush-microphones...over and over....until we heard my dad shout across the landing to Christopher, my brother-in-law..'I wish that ******jet plane would hurry up and take off so that we can get some ****** sleep!' Laugh....we laughed until our sides ached, laughter fuelled by the excitement of the festivities and the joy of being together for this special time.
Leaving on a jet plane is such an exciting experience and our love and prayers go with Deborah and Jackie to Turkey, to Cyprus with Joyce and will go with us to Cape Town in October. And our love is still going to that other place where my dad has been for so many years now. God bless you Dad, your 'plane' took off far too early and you've been gone from us for so many years but you are remembered so well and still loved even better.