Air show reflections

 As I come off a much-anticipated day with my family of fast planes and cars at the North Alabama Airfield, I re-center.  Going into the day, I had my amazing time with God, followed by prepping lunches for our day out.  That was interrupted by Aliya's frantic call for attention to her rabbit, Queen Anne, who has been getting skinnier, and was really struggling this morning.  I went out with Aliya and checked the rabbit,prayers over both of them, and spent a little extra time just observing and speaking words of comfort (and reality), the best I could.  Then it was a more rushed return to making lunches because we wanted to get to the show, and we had heard they were expecting 30,000 people and Chris does not do crowds well.... I did not want us to be in the midst of a herd of chaos whether in parking or getting to our spot.  

Well, after the hour drive, gas station stops, included, we were easily enough directed to a parking spot, and made it through the line of sweating people creeping along on the asphalt (not even sure if that was another hour- I got to people watch and talk some), and were free to walk past all the bouncy houses you had to pay extra for.  We found a spot and hungrily ate our lunch, draining much of the water we had brought.  So as you can imagine, we were ready for the good part.  

To me and the big kids it was amazing.  Fast cars racing across the tarmac and planes speeding through the air as they left smoke trails.  For the littles, it was hitting their naptime and they were hot and uncomfortable.  For Chris, I think he was still trying to regulate from the morning, the drive, the line, the chaos around him and as the littles whined and the announcer bellowed in between roaring B-52 fighter jets.  About halfway through we are out of water: time for mom to go on the hunt.  Another half hour and I'm back with water and we're off to see the planes and cars on display.  After an hour of that we are all parched and get back to our home base of water and snacks.  Popcorn and peaches.... yes, after all that sweating you need some salt replacement, but that also makes you want more water.  So when the show was over, we were ready to get to our car and find some water.  All this story to say, the day was not filled with golden retriever attitudes.  It all kind of crashed as we sat down to a meal served by Wendy (our favorite fast food chain to support).  

I am so thankful for the chaos of my family.  Yes, I had a moment of, "man, I feel like I messed up by getting those tickets," but I enjoyed conversating with the big kids as we talked over making bread that evening (after Chris and the littles went to bed).  Opportunities like that are not just entertainment anymore, they're opportunities for life lessons, encouragement to dream, and instruction of living for God and how He will order our path and bring blessings.  There were multiple lessons in the license plates chosen by the drivers of the cars:

Written out on the spoiler:  "Because Isaiah 43:10"  "You are my witnesses declares the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He.  Before me no God was formed, nor will there be one after me.  and verse 11-13; "I even I am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior.  I have revealed and saved and proclaimed-- you are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "that I am God... When I act, who can reverse it?"

On a license plate "Eph 679", Ephesians 6:7-9  "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.  And masters, treat your slaves in the same way.  Do not threaten them, since you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him."

...and one that said "pkt chg", "pocket change": our encouragement that there will be so much blessing when we are doing the will of God, that to get such a sought-after car would be nothing to Him, or to us.  He owns the cattle of a thousand hills, what will we ever want for when we are doing the will of God?