Letting Your Children Fly

     It was like entering a whole new world when I passed through the gate, like a forbidden zone or something that I had never been allowed to cross before. But today was different. Today was the day that Susy was going to take her daddy up for a flight and I was there to record the moment. With all the planes parked around the small area, the past year and a half of my daughter's life became real to me. She had been working so hard to get her first pilot's license, the first step of many in the process to becoming a full fledged commercial pilot. She had taken her first very stressfull oral exam early in the year, but had not passed it and had to wait until they could reschedule a time for the instructor to be back in the area. Another issue was the weather, which had to cooperate in order for her to fly once she passed the oral part of the exam. If there were too many low clouds, she couldn't fly. If it was windy or rainy, she couldn't fly. And it seemed like every time they set it up, it was canceled due to weather. 
     "God has a special plan," I said. "It will all work out at the right time."  
     Susy kept working and studying. She worked many shifts at her job just to pay for the flight training, which is not considered college so she couldn't get credit or financial aid for it.  But her love for flying made her a dedicated worker, so she could fulfill this dream that her father had sparked in her. 
     It all began after Joe had gotten his pilot's license to fly some small drones for pleasure and business. There was a lot of time and effort that went into that process for him, and he thought that Susy might enjoy flying the drones with him. They did go out a few times to fly, but their feet always remained on the ground while the drones went up into the air. 
     One day Joe asked Susy if she would like to take a test flight in a real plane to see if she liked it in the air. We paid for her to go on her first flight, which again, sparked something inside her when she felt the freedom of flying like a bird in the sky. She took off with the idea and recently passed her exam and flight test with flying colors.
     And today I got to witness something I never thought that I would see. I never thought I would say that my daughter was flying a plane all by herself, with her dad by her side. 
     I could have gone with them. There was enough room in the tiny plane for two more people to squeeze into the backseat, but I was not ready to go quite yet. I think part of it was because they needed that first time together to bond and make a special memory. Joe had been waiting a long time to be able to go in that plane with her and I didn't want anything to steal that joy. I was nervous to see them go, of course, but all the people who have gotten to know Susy at that small airport said she is an awesome pilot; that she knew was she was doing and my husband was in good hands. It gave me a peace inside to hear them praise her like that. So, I stood back and let them go, while the tears flowed down my cheeks as I watched my daughter fly. And I prayed for them. 
     And as I sit here and write this, I think of my two other children who have also learned to fly in a different way, by getting married and moving out of the house. There is not much I can do to keep them safe in their flight paths, but pray, pray, pray. God is at the controls with them, teaching them, guiding them, helping them through each part of their flights. And my prayer for my children is that they will always, ALWAYS, listen for His voice and allow Him to be their first commanding pilot through every flight journey that they take. 

​     Enjoy the pictures!