I am planning a trip this summer to northern Italy to visit my first born and his family.

We haven’t  been together for a couple of years. I have one Italian granddaughter approaching pre-adolescence and another only weeks old. I am so eager to see my Italian loved ones and spend a couple of weeks sharing their lives.

The logistics, however, are horrendous.  And expensive.

My son and I have been contacting travel agents and checking the on-line travel sites looking for the most convenient and economical arrangements.  Since I live in small town Northern California, direct flights are unheard of. (I have to fly to San Francisco or Los Angeles to get to Seattle.)  My son’s family lives in a small city in the Dolomite foothills, about half-way between Verona and Venice, so there will be a long commute when I arrive in Italy, as well.

It is so easy to get caught up in all the expense and inconvenience and lose sight of the joy awaiting me with my family.

Looking up from the computer screen after a particularly frustrating search, my eyes fell upon the photograph of my granddaughters that I keep on my desk. Once again I was reminded of the priceless nature of my time with them.

Priceless doesn’t just mean that it is hard to place a value on something. Priceless means that no price, in money or time, is too much to pay.

Salvation is like that, too.