truly alive / timeless white

“Hi, honey. I hope you’re not out running in this rain…” I had just returned to the towel-covered drivers’ seat of my car and checked my phone messages. This message from my wonderful husband made me laugh. What a run it was, slapping through the red clay mud on a thin layer of drizzle. It was just damp enough to soak me through by the end of the three miles but Chili paused often to shake so vigorously that her feet slid around in the mud. She hated the rain but it didn’t in the least diminish the joy in her wide eyes and rapidly wagging tail whenever she turned to check up on me. For just a moment as I sloshed along I laughed aloud in untempered delight. Sometimes embracing the silly and the unexpected flings wide the door to that feeling of being truly alive.

A few days later, we took off west from just outside of Dallas, away from the faintest light of impending dawn. By the time the sun first touched our plane, we were squeezing between layers of cloud, spin-offs from a hurricane in the Pacific. The weather cleared enough, however, to allow a fuel stop at the base of the Sacramento Mountains in New Mexico. Radar reports said we could skirt the high terrain en route to our destination, but the clouds and mountains conspired to show us the touch of God’s finger.

Moisture in the air pushed up by the mountains condensed into rain beating noisily on the canopy. Wind shoved heavenward by rugged hills bounced us around inside the depthless white. Too slow and the engine gets too hot. Too fast and rain will damage the propeller. Climb, climb, climb above the rising earth. Airspace restricted to the Army’s sensitive operations to the south and even higher peaks to the north. We could turn around and return to Carlsbad or continue to where they said the weather was better. But as the Sacramentos dropped away into the Tularosa Basin and air traffic control could let us go no further west, we still bumped through timeless white. With mounting tension we discussed our options, considering with dread the 45 minutes we could expect to fly circles before air traffic control could let us descend. I keyed the mic to speak with our controller when the clouds simply vanished. Like a light switch instantly illuminates a room, the whiteness ceased and the world was awash in color and depth. Far below us, at the foot of a 10,000+ foot high wall of cliff and cloud, lay our destination airport. God does a lot of subtle, quiet work around us, but once in a while He sure likes to be spectacular!

He continued to coordinate for some great visits with old and new friends and the beautiful wedding of our friends Justin and Jennifer.

It’s so good to know He’s in control even if it takes a stark reminder sometimes!