Thoughts from 17,000ft

I’ve never flown by myself before, and I should start by saying I’m scared of flying. Even though I’ve flown a lot with my family, a few times with just my sister and I, and once with just a friend and I, it still scares me.

Today, I flew home from Tallahassee so I can attend my grandmother’s big 80th birthday bash. She’s been planning the party for months, and I was able to find a great deal on round trip tickets so I could be home for the party. Like I said, this is my first time flying solo, but the size of the tiny Tallahassee airport has made my trip easy so far.

Aboard the tiny 58-person-plane, I found my window seat and remembered how sick I used to get when I was younger and sat in window seats on planes. Now, the nausea was replaced by an unusual calm as I watched the world and the clouds get further away as we rose to altitude. For the first time, I wasn’t filled with nervousness as I watched the clouds change shape and sat in awe of the beautiful morning sky.

Moments like that, it’s so easy to be so totally sure of God’s presence. I really was able to “sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight” and take in the scenery.

It’s seems silly that something as simple as pretty clouds could bring me the kind of peace that only God can give, but as I wrote here, sometimes the little things really are the big things, and I’m totally fine with that.

I thanked God for the beautiful sights and prayed for peace of mind when the ride got bumpy, and I realized that prayer should be that easy throughout my life. I’m working on it, and I’m thankful for that, too.