Packed Up

I've been away from home for ten days with two more to go. I'm ready to go home. I'll pack my bags in the morning then check out of the hotel. After I complete my work tomorrow I'll drive toward the airport and find a place to stay. The flight is at 6:05 am. I don't want to have to drive an extra forty-five minutes that early in the morning; so I'll stay close to the airport tomorrow night.

It won't take long to pack. Almost everything I brought is dirty so I'll just throw everything in the luggage and deal with it at home. Have you ever noticed how carefully you pack when you are leaving for a trip? Everything is folded neatly and placed delicately in the luggage. You check and recheck the lids on the toiletries. I even put them in ziplock bags. That's a trick I learned from my wife. When you fly your luggage is kept in a compartment that is not pressurized like the cabin where you ride. So the changing pressure causes the shampoo to ooze out of the bottle and onto everything else. If all the oozy stuff is in a baggie together then your clothes don't get oozed on.

That always happened to me before I met my wife. And I never realized my clothes had ooze on them until I was wearing them. Yuck! So that little trick is clever. Use it if you want.

Bruce Williams was/is a radio talk show host. His program is about business, primarily. Here's a trick I picked up from Bruce. When you are flying and will be at your destination for a while, box up your clothes and UPS them to your hotel. Call the hotel and let them know there will be a package arriving for you. They'll hold it until you get there. No baggage to check and tote! Just be sure to ship your box early enough so it will be waiting on you. You don't want to be waiting on it for a few days.

My wife and I did this on our honeymoon to San Antonio. It was our first time to try this. I sounded real confident it would work and Deana finally agreed to do it. I'll admit now that I was relieved to find that the box was at the hotel when we arrived. Yeah!

Then I tried it on a business trip to Maine. That worked out pretty good. My boss (from New York) met me at the airport and we traveled to our workplace together. She was loaded down with stuff and I had almost nothing. Again, I was glad to see the box at the hotel.

One word of advice: pack a change of clothes and a toothbrush - just in case. And don't forget to UPS your stuff back home!

The departure is always more "fun" than the return. I've been gone for almost two weeks. I was excited to start the journey but I'm worn out now and just ready to be home. I haven't taken a picture in four days. I've stopped sightseeing. I just want to check out, load up, and head home.

Life is like that, isn't it. When we started our journey through life we were excited. Everything was new. Sometimes we have moments of "newness" and we get excited about living again. But look around. So many people are just tired of the journey and ready to move on. But they aren't really looking forward to moving on - like I'm not looking forward to another six hours in an airplane Friday.

I believe that those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will depart this world in style one day. Just think how you would feel if you had been pushing a cart loaded with bricks all the way across the country but you knew that when you get to a certain city you'll be picked up in a Cadillac, taken to the airport, and sent home in the luxury of first class. Pushing a cart of bricks isn't very exciting and it's awful tiring. But there's something fantastic waiting just down the road.

Someone said, "Life's hard; then you die." I agree but must add, "Then Jesus takes you home first class." But only if you know him as Savior and Lord.

George Younce used to say, "I'm packed up and ready to go." He made that trip a few months ago.

Are you packed up and ready to go?