Flying high

Work is crazy busy right now but I've had a story to tell and now I finally have a few moments to spill. As I wrote earlier my trip to San Fran was full of great gifts and tremendous healing. The final chapter of that jaunt came on the plane back to Denver. Let me just start by saying I have always HATED flying. Something that heavy should not be up in the air, I can't see who the pilot is to pass judgement on and so on and so forth. Anyway, we were nearly home as I stood in line for the restroom in the back of the plane. The pilot called back to the steward and told him to get the other attendants and prepare for some rough weather over the Rockies. I slipped into the restroom, did my business, and as I unlocked the door the plane went BOOM. My feet came off of the floor a foot and then we got slammed hard to the right. The steward looked at me all freaked out and said, "JUST SIT THERE IN MY JUMP SEAT!" I plunked down and held on to anything I could get my hands on. The plane did a fast drop in altitude and I found myself floating up off of the seat. The steward dove across the cabin and grabbed my waist. He held me down and got a seat belt on me. Then I held on to him as he got buckled. The engine wined and stopped several times. I heard people shouting out pleas to God and bawling as they did foxhole prayers. The steward looked at me with his eyes bulging out and said, "Are you O.K.?" I didn't respond but I thought this guy flies all the time and he's losing it. This is not right. This must be it. Coffee pots, trash cans and anything not nailed down flew at us in every direction in the back cabin. I felt an adrenaline rush start and I knew I was about have a real panic attack. Then a funny thought popped into my head, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference." (I said it just like that with no pauses or punctuation) I then realized that this was in God's hands now. I knew in my heart that if he took me right then that I wasn't condemned to hell and that he would watch over my wife and girls. I knew peace at that moment and accepted that I was along for the ride wherever that was. 10 minutes later we must have crossed the Rockies and started our descent into DIA. It was still bumpy but calm enough for me to walk back to my seat. As I ping ponged back down the rows of seats people were holding their rosaries, professing their love for each other and crying. I was almost whistling and grinning from ear to ear. Soon the tires screeched on the runway and a collective sigh came from us all. The light went DING and the payload arose and said nothing as several of us prepared for our much deserved smoke. Maybe because I'm new and dumb God felt it necessary to hit me with a 2x4 so I could realize this most profound lesson? But did He have to hit so hard?
God bless and safe travels this holiday season,
Fishstyx