Tuesday June 8, 2010

Seeing as we left Seattle late, we arrived in Chicago behind schedule. Our plane landed at 5:50 AM, the very time our connecting flight was to begin boarding. Not a problem, right? Wrong. The gate we were to unload from apparently had an issue and wasn’t running properly so we had to back up and move to a different gate, thus using up more of our quickly running out and precious time.
By the time we unloaded from the airplane it was 6:20 AM, the exact time our flight was scheduled to leave. Needless to say, we hustled as fast as our luggage burdened bodies would carry us and made it to the gate in record time. It was still after our flight was supposed to leave, but we made it!! Praise God! We were informed that they were waiting for the luggage, not necessarily us, but we made it nevertheless. We practically ran onto the plane and were hardly seated before the plane began taxiing down the airstrip.
It was cloudy and raining when we left Chicago but as we ascended into the sky, we passed through the layer of storm clouds and into a beauty beyond compare. It was the calm ABOVE the storm. If we can look just beyond the storm, past the clouds into the sun shining behind and have hope, we can have the peace of knowing that God has all things under His control.
It was as if we were in a whole other world. Nahum 1:3 says that the “clouds are the dust of [God’s] feet” and I could practically see His footprints softly embedded into the white terrain.
The entire flight only took around 45 minutes and we were back on the ground in no time at all. We exited the plane, headed toward the baggage claim area and said hello to the families awaiting our arrival. After gathering our luggage and saying goodbye to the group, Amanda, Kyle, and I climbed into Kyle’s mom’s car and headed back to their house. I was only at their home for a short while before I climbed in my own car and began my journey home around 9 AM.
I stopped at Boeing (after a very confusing and frustrating trip to the place. I’m not very good at directions when I’m tired haha) to see my brother Dusty before continuing home. After our short hug, hello, and chat, I climbed back in my car and made it home without a hitch. I slept almost the entire afternoon and later that evening hung out with my parents, siblings, and nieces and nephew. My trip was officially over, but the lessons I learned, the growing I experienced, and the memories I made will never leave my heart and mind.

“He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp. He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” Psalm 147:4-11