Up and Down

Good morning, dear readers and family: Oh, life, life, life! One minute up and then next minute down!

We had a great Thanksgiving...missed my daughter-in-law, Erica and ended up with only one dish of corn! (Read previous blog)

Remember that we sold one of our planes to the Brazilian guy? Well, he made it back safe and sound and loves the plane...so that's an "up"!

This past Friday afternoon, a pilot came to rent our other plane...a little yellow Cessna 150. It was pretty cold outside, but he said that he was just going up and staying in the "pattern"...working on his landings and take-offs. So, that was cool....however, he got tired of doing that and decided to fly north to the practice area.

To make a long story short, something happened while he was practicing his maneuvers and he had to set the plane down in a bean field. It was about a mile long, all the beans had been harvested and Travis said that you could have set a jet down in it with no problems! But, this man forgot all of his previous training on what to do in case of an emergency and the plane ended up with the front wheel smashed and one of the wings damaged.

All I can say is that we're so thankful that he walked out without a scratch! Travis and 2 other guys (one is our mechanic) went to rescue him and ended up calling the FAA. Whoever Travis talked to told him that he couldn't touch the plane...had to leave it exactly as he found it until it had been inspected by either themselves or someone that they designated.

So, Travis had to leave the plane right where it landed. The next morning, he drove back up to this field, along with the designated person and crew to retrieve the plane and his heart fell into his shoes. A strong wind had come up the night before and the plane had been flipped on it's back and was completely totalled!

To say that we were "down" is an understatement! Punched in the stomache is more like it! Life, life, life! You never know what's coming around the corner. Sometimes good, sometimes bad!

Now, I can't possibly leave you there...because good things are all around us. We are surrounded with kind and caring people who have taken us out to dinner, dropped by to console us, called us to console us, and prayed for us. And it's that wonderful time of year when Christmas cards start arriving in the mail.

To conclude this "down" side of things, the insurance adjuster came out yesterday and said that he would do all in his power to get a check into our hands asap. He also felt very badly about the whole deal and the pilot that caused all of this? He's devastated! We feel so sorry for him! But, things happen and he wasn't hurt!

You might wonder...where is God in all of this? Oh, He's right here! Walking with us, consoling us, lifting our hearts...working behind the scenes to take awful things and bring good out of them. Will He hand us another airplane? I think not! But, good things are worked into our souls when we suffer! All kinds of things...patience, endurance, a softened heart, more compassion for those around us who also have "down" days!

I leave you here...I can't wait to go and check the mailbox later on this morning and see what lovely cards are waiting!