So, we were all glued to CNN or CNN.com yesterday to watch as over 140 people and crew members were rescued from the cold, murky waters of the Hudson River after their flight took off from LaGuardia airport. Reports state that a flock of birds may have been sucked into the engines of the plane, causing the plane to malfunction. Through the grace of God (and let's not diminish that it was truly HIS mercy that all lives were spared) and the skill of the pilots, the plane landed in the Hudson River in such a way that people were able to stand on the wings of the plane until rescued. What a miracle! The plane didn't hit any of the bridges crossing the Hudson, didn't crash into any of the downtown NYC buildings, and then, most amazingly, no loss of life! As one of my prayer partners said this morning, "someone on that plane was praying..." [Side note to Marquis: probably more than one.]
On Monday, I have to get on a plane. Am I nervous? Uh...no more than normal. I am an Air Force kid, I have been flying since I was six months old, so I know planes are capable of flying, but as I get older and think logically about it: how the heck is it possible for tons of steel, tons of human weight, pounds and pounds of luggage, food, water and snacks to make it up off the ground and thousands of feet into the air, blast away at hundreds of miles an hour, and land a few hours later hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles away
- safe and sound. Because, when you think about the numbers of flights that take off and land safely everyday around the world - it really is amazing. But anytime there is an air incident, it makes you pause and wonder, "Hmm...do I really want to get on a plane right now?" I think about my attorney, Robert, who was in NYC at a meeting and was actually sitting in the LaGuardia airport when the plane went down yesterday. How much faith did he have to have to board a plane later that evening to fly back to Atlanta? I know I might have had some second thoughts...
BUT, God willing: I will get on that plane Monday morning and my mom and I will travel to Palatka, Florida where we will watch the historic inauguration of Barack Obama with my 89 year old grandmother and commemorate the eighth anniversary of my grandfather's passing. I am placing my trust in Him, even today, that we will take off and land without incident. I am prayerful that we will have a nice visit, enjoy our time together, and then on Wednesday, get on another plane and head home to Atlanta. Yep...it will be alright.
Whatever you are doing during this holiday weekend, I pray God gives you and yours safe travels as well.