FOOD FOR THOUGHT
(01/31/2009)
CLOUDY
WITH A CHANCE OF COTTON CANDY
Cindy Hong
Sitting on the
runway in St. Louis en route to Detroit to celebrate Grandma's 90th birthday
two weeks ago, it was a dreary, cloudy January day, grey and overcast,
the rain drizzling, the sun dozing. Flying above the cloud covering a
few minutes later, breath-stopping beauty emerged. The sun wasn't asleep
after all, shining its rays as suns are apt to do. Grey clouds were replaced
by rows and rows of rolling fluffy clouds, puffy and pillow-soft. How
often do I look at life from the ground up, seeing the dirt, the ants,
the heavy clouds. God's view, top-down, sees all that I see to be sure,
and yet, he himself is beauty, purity, full of majestic blue hues. Looking
out the window in Seat 8F, life seems simple. Just sit and wait for the
plane to land. Sip cranberry juice and daydream away…imagining the
angels stepping out of the heavenly throne room to pick cotton for their
uniforms, and with cotton a plenty, never having to do laundry again.
In between worshiping God and sewing their wings, ample cotton candy to
be had. A taste of heaven. At 25,000 feet and nowhere to go, it seems
easy to follow Jesus. No dirt, no ants, the dreary clouds have all but
dissipated. In airplane mode, silver linings now seem possible. A momentary
oasis with the cell phone put away, computer off, to do lists under the
seat. As others were doing Sudoku puzzles, listening to music, reading,
and chatting away, I just sat, head in the clouds. The intercom broke
the reverie, and with the pilot's voice came a dose of reality: “We
are beginning our descent into Detroit . It's cloudy, it's cold, and there's
a traffic jam at the airport. They might have us slow our descent and
fly some circles in the sky. We'll keep you posted.” Isn't that life.
Cloudy. Cold. Traffic jams. Flying in circles. Yes, a slice of reality.
Yet reality includes God's beauty, His majesty, and cotton candy to eat
in the traffic jams. Our life is in the here and now, but it isn't found
in just the here and now. It's here and there. Now and then. Already and
not yet. Cloudy with a chance of cotton candy.
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