Airborne.
Have you ever wanted to step into someone else’s shoes? Just for a minute to see this world through his eyes? See what he sees.
To find the answers to questions that ripple through a mind… after a long day as mama
what takes a dear daddy from his family for too many hours?
too many days?
too much time?
The practical reasons are clear. A living must be made. Providing for seven more, plus self… a beautiful gift… and a precious load, all at the same time. The honorable reasons are treasured… protection of country… of home… of us.
What if you could trade places for one day? (I joke that his day would be tougher in the trade…)
What does he see when he is away from us?
The chance to see out… through the soul windows of another. The eyes of the other half of my soul.
Airborne.
The steely gray bird lifts into the air, carrying all of us in her cavernous belly.
The red mesh seats folded down, oxygen packs nestled behind our heads… a reassuring pillow.
The thrill of anticipation. This gift to a warrior’s wife. Sliding behind a warrior’s eyes for just a short time. Seeing what he sees. This view from above.
Breathtaking.
I have flown many times… this is different. The open belly, the impending mission. Unknown to this mama of six.
I get to see what he sees.
This pilot of mine… this is why he loves it so much.
It’s odd, how peaceful, how calm the world appears from thousands of feet in the air… how slow and orderly it all seems from up there, surpassing any possible ground speed.
The rumble of the engines, a calming tune.
Then, the words.
They are 5 minutes out.
Racing heart.
I can’t believe I get to see this!
Do this!
The windows to the sky… lying in wait. I peer out… roads, rivers, wrapped around fields of green. The smattering of billowy clouds break the endless blue. Then I see them. The jets. The angular machines, like the beloved toys of my children… small in the distance… growing larger… towards the belly of this steel bird.
It is like a nursing mother
I had joked with my husband. He laughed. They call them chicks. Following the mama. Chicks in tow.
The boom awaits the first thirsty Falcon. Stunned, I watch as the two merge by just one small opening. The larger bird giving fuel to the smaller. Hundreds of miles an hour they fly… only feet apart… then attached. The skill of the steady hands I see… the flier, the boom operator… the dance in the sky is perfect precision.
this is what he sees
this is how the world looks to him, when he is away from us
this view ~ exhilarating
My giddy excitement at watching this… one of those moments in life, you can’t quite believe to be real.
I see why he loves this so much
I see the beauty of below
I see it more clearly from up here
To see the world as my warrior sees it… just for a little while.
My mind goes to Him… to God.
This is what He sees…
but infinitely more
The shutter clicking furiously… I do not want to miss a second of this. I want to absorb this moment… to store it deep, for the times I wonder where he is. I want to remember to see… what he sees. The earth from up high, through my warrior’s eyes.
don’t forget to see with your eyes…
A friend whispers from my side… hers too, an airborne warrior.
don’t forget to see with your eyes
I lower the rabid camera… peering at the sight before me. This time meant to live right here… now. Be present in this moment. His eye-view meant to be a glimpse. A glimpse of the God-eye view.
this spectacular beauty lost in the rush on the ground
A thought… the mom-eye view… on the ground. The spectacular beauty around me… every day.
don’t forget to see…
with your eyes.
Be present in this moment. His glory all around.
Isaiah 33:17
Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar.
Hi Karin,
I am a military wife, too. Air Force. My husband flies C-17s. I was awed during our spouses’ flight too. So happy to know you here, and to meet another military spouse on-line.
~jana
Hi Jana,
I’m so glad to meet another military wife here! That flight was awesome. I had a whole new appreciation for what my husband loves to do. My husband flies F-16s. I bet we have some friends in common or may have crossed paths somewhere in the AF.:)
Your reflection here on the peace and order from a view so far above the earth reminds me of the feelings I experienced during my sky-diving adventure this summer. I have never heard such silence, felt such peace, or had so much hope. I didn’t do it to see through the eyes of another or to trade places with my hubby (he has yet to take me up on that challenge), but I do know that the experience was life changing and spectacular…and one moment I remember, without a doubt, living in the present and just taking time to be! Your pictures are gorgeous!
Skydiving?! Wow!! What an amazing experience. I was tucked safely inside a huge bird for this flight. It was absolutely breathtaking… not like any other flying I’ve ever done. I took about 450 photos of this. I had to remember to lower the lens to enjoy the moment. It is a spectacular gift to see the world from God’s eye-view. Hope and peace. Yes, that’s exactly it.