So there we stood, me, my lovely wife Kathy, James, Jeff and my three year old daughter Jamie. Standing in line to board Eastern Airlines flight 1225 departing at 12:25 for the North Pole. Jamie had been diagnosed with cancer a year earlier and we all felt a quick trip would be a great idea.

Now, normally I would not be overly excited about the idea of flying that far with not only all of my kids but dozens and dozens of others. But this flight was much different from most of the flights I had flown before…. Very different.

First off we were not flying in First Class….I wasn’t flying First Class…. First Class!!

Or were we?

You see this flight to the North Pole was different. This flight was full of families with children with bald heads, or confined to wheelchairs, or any of the other of the “tags” that say suffering from a catastrophic illness. These were kids that deserved to go to the North Pole to see Santa…not at some mall, or some shopping center, or store but at His Toy Shop at the The North Pole.

All of this was courtesy of the “SilverLiners”, a group of retired Eastern Airline Employees who every year “flew’ countless numbers of children on the trip of their dreams. Sure I knew what to expect. After we “Landed” (Read short taxi from one gate to another) we would all travel down the jet way to “Winter Wonderland” where Santa and all of his merry elves would be waiting (Read SilverLiner’s and other volunteers).

I also knew that they would make sure that every thing would be just Christmas Perfect.

There would be presents for everyone, food, laughter, fun, games and everything that one would expect from the North Pole—Including Santa, Elves, and Reindeers!! Everything that it would take to make the trip Christmas Perfect!!!

There are very few moments in one’s life when time stands still. When the world ceases to turn and you see every moment as if it could last a lifetime…the world stands still…perfectly still. During those moments, if you allow it, you can take in the Beauty—the Amazement--- the Glory---The Godness of that moment. At such times you forget all that needs to be forgotten and remember all that needs to be remebered and think to yourself “How can it get any better then this”

On Eastern Airlines Flight 1225, on that December day, with all of those amazing children…as I looked out over all of those wild eyed and smiling faces, we landed at the North Pole. As I looked out the plane’s window, in Atlanta Georgia, I asked myself “How can it get any better then this?”

And then it began to SNOW!!!!

Pray for me, I’ll pray for you