Flying High by Glynis M. Belec

“A wise woman will always let her husband have her way”

      Don’t misunderstand me. Happy Hubby is as red blooded and fearless as the next guy. I’m certain he has what it takes to slay any dragon at the drop of his cloak and come to the rescue of his damsel in distress.

      But my dearly beloved is not so fearless when it comes to heights. Ever since I’ve known him, he’s always maintained that we’d have been issued wings with our other appendages if we were meant to defy the force of gravity. The thought of flying does not thrill him. Even climbing a ladder higher than a storey and a half puts the poor guy into a tizzy.

      Imagine my surprise last weekend when that darling man I married suggested we take a helicopter ride. We were behaving like typical tourists at Niagara Falls, seeing the sights and doing a lot of pointing. As we approached the heliport, the van slowed down and we turned into the parking lot. Like hot buttered popcorn, the kids jumped up and down with noisy anticipation.

      “Calm down, guys!” I ordered, noticing Happy Hubby’s smirk. “We’re just going to watch the helicopters for a while.”

      Not for one moment did I suspect my gravity conscious sweetheart would ever suggest taking off.

      “Let’s go for a helicopter ride. We’ll see lots more from up there.”

      “What? Are you sure?” I asked, mouth agape.

      “Close your mouth and bring the kids.”

      By this time the children were ecstatic. I still couldn’t believe it. After all, it was not that long ago, at Santa’s Village, when we went for a ride in the (small, not very scary) Christmas Ball Ferris Wheel. There Poppa Bear sat – the blood slowly draining from his face; perspiration dripping from his brow, and the ride hadn’t even started at that point. But we did appreciate his efforts.

      Flying over the magnificent Falls was going to be an experience for us all (in more ways than one, we later discovered). The kids were thrilled. We waited in line for a few minutes. When our turn came up I will admit that my stomach did a slight flip as we ducked under the great whirling blades.

      Happy Hubby took the front seat while the kids and I slid into the back. A young fellow helped us buckle in and the bearded pilot smiled, welcomed us aboard and instructed us to don our headphones. That was our last verbal communication with the pilot for there was a taped, tour recording playing in our headsets.

      The lift-off was not too bad. We all huddled a little closer in the back seat. I noticed my hubby inching slightly closer to the pilot.

      The view was incredible. The cars looked like Dinky toys and the built-up areas were so vast. Not sure how much of the view my dearly beloved had. He seemed to be staring straight ahead; trance-like.

      Then, without warning, the helicopter tipped; actually it turned but it sure felt like it was tipping – right over the Falls, too. For a brief moment I felt queasy. But I soon forgot about it when I noticed that old familiar sight – the blood draining from his face; perspiration trickling from his brow; white knuckles clinging to the seat. I started to giggle. Then we tipped the other way. Happy Hubby looked like he was going to grab the pilot. Although he didn’t move an inch, I knew exactly what he was feeling. I could read his body language. It was screaming, “Get me outa’ here! Stop this thing! Never, ever, ever, ever am I taking my feet off the ground again!”

      The ride lasted for about 15 minutes. I am sure my hubby thought it more like 15 hours. Poor guy. That was pretty brave of him to make that sacrifice for his family. He obviously did that because he loves us.

   Reminds me of Someone else who loved us so much that He made the supreme sacrifice.

The Good Shepherd did not have to do that for our sake. But He did. He made

that choice. He knew the ramifications of His decision. He understood the

abuse, the suffering, the sorrow; he realized the  cross was imminent.  

      Sacrifice always involves giving up something. My sweet hubby gave up his need for sure-footedness for the love of his family.

      Jesus gave up His life because he so loved the World. Can’t get much better than that!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16