When I arrived at the airport to stand in line, I watched others with worried expressions and realized that they also wanted to get to their destinations safely. I started thinking about the thousands of flights which take off and land safely every day without incident, each flight loaded with passengers just like me.
On one flight a man sat behind us, sat down and rather abruptly shut his window blind. I smiled and asked if this was his first flight.
He said that he was in the Marines, and had flown much but could not overcome his fear of flying. He was home on extended leave where he had planned to marry his childhood sweetheart and enjoy a few weeks together. He and his bride had married and had spent just one day together when his orders were changed which sent him for deployment in the Middle East.
Instead of taking the nap I so desperately needed, the serviceman and I started chatting about his concerns about flying, about leaving his bride behind, about the sudden change in orders, through most of the flight.
He said it was strange that he was more afraid of flying than facing the unknown in the Middle East. As we headed East I described the landscape below to the Marine. A couple of times I encouraged him to raise his window blind to see the beautiful sites. He seemed to relax a bit.
Perspective and prayer helped me. I hope it helps you too. :)
It's very helpful when the pilot tells you what rivers, towns, etc. you are passing over. To me, it's fascinating to watch the "great American desert" begin as you cross from DFW to California.
That's a sweet story bd. Thanks for sharing it.
*************
Thanks. :)