Above The Clouds

I am not a fan of flying.  I hadn't flown in almost ten years, so was dreading my flight.  I'm fairly certain the airport personnel I encountered in Kansas City sensed I was not exactly a seasoned flier.  At the security gate, I informed my sister that I could not get on the plane after all.  Somehow she finally persuaded me to move onward.  My wobbly legs carried me to the door where I managed to show a woman my driver's license.  I proudly remembered to take off my shoes and place them in a bin on the conveyor belt.  I set one of my carry-on bags there as well.  I then proceeded to wheel my other bag through the metal detector.  The security officer patiently instructed me to put it with my other things.  I was startled when I beeped while strolling through the metal detector.  He noticed my silver bracelet, and kindly asked me to remove it.  When I beeped on my second time through, I wondered aloud if my belt might be the problem.  I must give the man credit for how calmly he replied, "Does it have metal on it?  It is a METAL detector."  Duh.
When Eli and I had been discussing flying, he seemed alarmed to discover that I would be flying above the clouds.  Even though I had a window seat on both flights, it wasn't until my return trip that I could relax enough to enjoy the view.  I even snapped several pictures of the clouds so Eli could see how awesome they were.  My mom actually made the flight home with me, and mentioned a sermon my dad had once preached that was inspired by the many flights he's taken.  He'd said that no matter how dark and dreary things may seem on the ground below, at 30,000 feet the sun is always shining.  A few minutes later, it was amazing to read a note from a friend that included the very same sentiment.  She shared about her experience of flying through a rainbow during a storm.  She told me, "You may not get to fly through a rainbow, but maybe you can enjoy the promises of being above the clouds and seeing the beauty from the topside.  I always like to remember that when we look up on a cloudy sky from below, there is sunshine just on the other side."  Indeed there is.