Dad as Copilot

We took our first ride in a small plane recently.  Alaska is well known for their large number of private pilots, due to the fact that much of Alaska is not reachable by car.  Many of these planes are float planes designed to land on water, and we felt this may be one of our rare chances to get to ride in one.  Thus we took a float plane ride to get an aerial view of Misty Fjord’s National Monument.  

I have known since the beginning of our relationship that my husband has always wanted to fly a plane.  He had childhood dreams of flying fighter jets, yet learned early on that his lack of perfect vision would make this dream impossible.  He had never had the chance to go in a small plane prior to now, and there is no question that he enojoyed our flight the most.  On the last leg of the flight he sat up front next to the pilot, and got the chance to listen to the air traffic control banter and watch the pilot adjust the nobs and dials.  My kids and I thought the flight was kind of neat, yet my husband thought it was amazing.  I have no doubt he would regard it as one of the biggest highlights of our two week trip to Alaska. 

What should we make of these childhood dreams that never get realized?  While my husband may have the chance to take private pilot lessons at some point in the future, the fighter pilot dream is out of reach.  Many of us may have childhood dreams that will never be realized.  Sometimes when we get to adulthood we realize that our initial dreams were silly and don’t miss them much, yet some of us still may have an inner longing for something beyond what we are doing now.  The Apostle Paul told us his secret to dealing with such things in Philippians 4:12 when he said “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation...”

Another secret is submission.  We are where we are because God wills us to be there.  We submit to His plan, not ours.  We might have unrealized dreams of being a rock star, yet maybe we can sing worship music in church, or teach a children’s choir.  We might have unrealized dreams of being a superhero, yet maybe we can be a hero to our kids, or help others in a critical time of need.  We might have unrealized dreams of being a fighter pilot, yet maybe we can lead in other ways, in other kinds of battles.  When I think of my husband, he leads our family mightily, with precision and strength that far surpasses anything that can be registered in a flight plan. His fighter pilot dream, although unrealized, helped to form him into the wonderful husband and father he is today.

What are you doing with your childhood dreams?  How are you adapting these interests to your life today?  Are you using contentment and submission to open yourself up for use by God for His purposes?  If we faithfully assign these childhood-derived interests and talents for use in God’s plan we might just find that these “silly” childhood fantasies were not so silly after all. 

Don’t Kill the Bear

One fun thing on cruises is the towel animals that the cabin attendants leave on our bed in the evening.  On our next to the last night we had a cute bear left for us which was endeared to my son.  Since our room was small and we did not have much space to store these creations, I would usually disassemble them every night and hang the towels in the bathroom.  On this particular night, however, I was met with a plea to not “kill the bear.”

The bear moved from our bed, to our son’s bed, to our daughter’s bed, then back to our son’s bed.  I even got a silly picture of my son cradleing this towel animal in his arms, protecting him from destruction.  The room was small, so we had to find a safe crevice to place this new friend while we slept.  He ended up on the floor, safely nestled next to the trash can.

One of our goals for this trip to Alaska was to see wildlife, including bears.  We did see a few far off in the distance during our bus ride in Denali National Park, yet my husband was hoping to snap pictures from a closer distance.  We traveled a bit too early in the season, before the salmon come back to streams and rivers to spawn.  Thus the bears are hidden deep in the woods, collecting berries and other such food, rather than out in the open streams and rivers.  Spotting them was difficult.  In fact one of the “bear-watching” excursions organized from our cruise line came up totally empty seeing no bears at all.  Yet at this moment, we had a bear up close, one we could hold, cradle in our arms, and protect.  

I spoke to a family today who went on one if the doomed bear-seeing expeditions, where they spent several hundred dollars in the hope to see bears yet saw none.  They said they passed the time making bear puns:  the land was not bear-ing fruit; the ride was unbearable; the land was bear-en (barren).  These puns made them laugh off their frustration.  Here we were at the end of our cruise, still lamenting that we did not see a bear up close, yet now have one sharing our bedroom!

Things do not always go as expected.  Sometimes silliness can make a positive difference.  Often the alternative is disappointment, frustration, or anger, which is not good for anyone and does not lead to a joyful or restorative vacation.  Sometimes the simple joys can mean the most.  May we continue to find happiness in such things.

Grandma and the Village People

It is a great blessing to go on vacation with extended family members if one is able.  My husband, kids, and I were blessed to have my parents join us on a cruise to Alaska.  Joint vacations provide rich opportunities to get to know each other better and spend time together.  I very much enjoyed that opportunity last month. 

Most people who are close to my mom know she loves to dance.  The cruise’s 50s and 60s dance party, and the 70s dance party, gave us the chance to do this together.  It is like the music is in her veins, and makes her legs and arms move regardless of how tired she might otherwise be beforehand.  

Music also infuses her spirit and opens her up to silliness in a crowd of strangers, regardless of how many are watching.  The smile on her face brings joy to others and provides life to the party.  What fun we had at these two cruise dance parties. 

During the 70s dance party they had actors dressed up as the former music group, The Village People, complete with the construction worker, police man, sailor, cowboy, and the scantily-clad Native American.  At the end of the party we had the option to take pictures with the actors, and her sillines was still active and open to my prompting.  We got a great picture of her with these attractive young men.  The picture was awesome, and her smile was inspiring.

How restorative it is to be open to such silliness!  The emotional high after a laugh like that is far better than any drug or alcohol can provide. Not everyone has my mother’s gift of selfless silliness to liven up a party.  How blessed I am to have been a part of it. 

Lady of the Lichen

My daughter has always loved being in the woods.  She heard from her aunt that Alaska has thick moss that is spongy when one walks on it, and she was excited to get to see it.  Our hike in Chugach State Park near Anchorage, Alaska did not disappoint. 

Earlier in the week we learned that lichen was an important part of the Alaskan ecosystem, and is the primary food source for caribou and other animals in the winter.  While hiking in Chugach State Park we saw a large build-up of rocks with lichen on them in various shades of green and yellow.  The scene was something you might see in a Tinkerbell movie.  It was beautiful, and my daughter said she had seen something like this in her dreams.  As she climbed among the lichen-covered construct, she happily declared herself to be “Lady of the Lichen.” 

It is interesting to know that lichen is formed in a symbiotic relationship between algae, fungae, and cyanobacterium.  It grows over large numbers of surfaces using the underlying plants and rocks as a substrate, usually causing no harm.  It is an example of how successful life can be when it cooperates with others, in balance with neighbors around them.  We could learn something from lichen.

What if we lived in such harmony with others around us?  How vast and how powerful would the people of God be if they worked alongside each other in unity.  What if we sacrifically gave ourselves to others as this vast expanse of lichen does with caribou and other animals in the winter?  The majesty of this kind of unity would truly be a dream come true.