It was a sad day. The thick, dreary clouds felt heavy and my soul languished. The sky longed to weep, but it could not find the tears to shed. My eyes stared into the distance, wondering when—no, wondering if God would make the pain go away. It had been too long; I was convinced of it, but apparently God had other plans. Plans that I did not favor. Plans against which I wanted to retaliate.
I jumped at the sound of my alarm. 3:00 a.m. I had a plane to catch. Rolling out of bed and forcing myself to eat a bowl of Cheerios, I could barely swallow the thought of the dreadful mysteries that would await me as I stepped off of that plane. Grabbing my luggage and glancing one last time at the peace and normalcy I was leaving behind, I let out a deep sigh and walked mechanically out the front door to embrace the overcast day. My journey had begun.
The plane was on schedule. There was no delaying the inevitable. Like cattle we boarded the small craft. One after another. All with individual stories. All with a hidden thorn in the flesh. I wondered if I wore mine on my sleeve.
I took my first row, first class seat near the window. Before we even took off, my eyes were drawn to the view outside like a magnet is drawn to its polar pair. The sky understood me. The blissful chatter and ignorant laughter echoing from the voices filling the seats in the plane mocked my sorrow. But not the sky. The sky mourned with me. We connected that morning, and I listened to it as if it were speaking directly to me.
I hardly noticed the movement as the plane began its course down the runway. Or perhaps I simply did not care. Either way, we began to ascend rapidly and I was thrust forward towards my sorrowful, sympathetic sky. At the peak, we kissed each other, and then I passed through her. Closing my eyes as I drank in the sorrow of this moment, it was not until the plane leveled that my eyelids slowly lifted to take in the scene of darkness once more.
Light. Glorious light as far as my eyes could see. I blinked one, twice, three times to confirm whether it was a mocking mirage or if Morning had dawned. The more my eyes gazed into the blinding brilliance, the more I never wanted to look away from the breathtaking beauty that enveloped me. What had become of the bleak scene of darkness?
I glanced down from my small window view, and noticed that the storm clouds were still there. But their appearance had changed. They were much thinner now. And lighter too. They lost their ominous power as I noticed that they were beneath my feet. Only the Light surrounded me, and my desire was to fix my eyes upon it.
Too soon the captain’s voice would come over the speaker system once more. “Ladies and Gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts as we prepare for our descent.” We would kiss the sky, pass through her, and land on the rain-soaked ground. Exiting the airplane, I would look back up at my sky and notice that she was thick and dark and threatening once more. But this time I knew what was on the other side. And I smiled.
I jumped at the sound of my alarm. 3:00 a.m. I had a plane to catch. Rolling out of bed and forcing myself to eat a bowl of Cheerios, I could barely swallow the thought of the dreadful mysteries that would await me as I stepped off of that plane. Grabbing my luggage and glancing one last time at the peace and normalcy I was leaving behind, I let out a deep sigh and walked mechanically out the front door to embrace the overcast day. My journey had begun.
The plane was on schedule. There was no delaying the inevitable. Like cattle we boarded the small craft. One after another. All with individual stories. All with a hidden thorn in the flesh. I wondered if I wore mine on my sleeve.
I took my first row, first class seat near the window. Before we even took off, my eyes were drawn to the view outside like a magnet is drawn to its polar pair. The sky understood me. The blissful chatter and ignorant laughter echoing from the voices filling the seats in the plane mocked my sorrow. But not the sky. The sky mourned with me. We connected that morning, and I listened to it as if it were speaking directly to me.
I hardly noticed the movement as the plane began its course down the runway. Or perhaps I simply did not care. Either way, we began to ascend rapidly and I was thrust forward towards my sorrowful, sympathetic sky. At the peak, we kissed each other, and then I passed through her. Closing my eyes as I drank in the sorrow of this moment, it was not until the plane leveled that my eyelids slowly lifted to take in the scene of darkness once more.
Light. Glorious light as far as my eyes could see. I blinked one, twice, three times to confirm whether it was a mocking mirage or if Morning had dawned. The more my eyes gazed into the blinding brilliance, the more I never wanted to look away from the breathtaking beauty that enveloped me. What had become of the bleak scene of darkness?
I glanced down from my small window view, and noticed that the storm clouds were still there. But their appearance had changed. They were much thinner now. And lighter too. They lost their ominous power as I noticed that they were beneath my feet. Only the Light surrounded me, and my desire was to fix my eyes upon it.
Too soon the captain’s voice would come over the speaker system once more. “Ladies and Gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts as we prepare for our descent.” We would kiss the sky, pass through her, and land on the rain-soaked ground. Exiting the airplane, I would look back up at my sky and notice that she was thick and dark and threatening once more. But this time I knew what was on the other side. And I smiled.
