Home Again

There was a plane crash here last week where three pilots died. I hate when I see stories like these-It is heartbreaking to think of the families that are left behind. I will usually get calls from family and friends when they hear stories like these to make sure it wasn't Bob. I have gotten used to him flying so much that I never even think twice about it, until someone asks.
When Bob and I were first married I would worry endlessly about him. I would sit by my phone and wait for his voice to say,"Hi baby, I'm here" Oh those few simple words could ease my anxiety,and calm all of my fears! I remember one time he had a trip to some remote island.There was only one phone on the island(this was when you only had beepers) so by the time he had gotten there, he could not "check in" with me. This was the longest night of my life. I kept waking up,waiting for him to call,the clock ticking hour by hour,I was imagining the worst,(the plane crashed and he was at the bottom of the ocean with a beeper continuously going off, beep,beep,beep) I woke up at 5am to call the tower and give them his tail number to tell me what happened, I waited for the police to show up at my door, can I say it was the worst experience for a newly married bride! When at 7am the phone rang and I heard the most amazing sound on the other end, my husband's voice:"Hey Baby, I am so sorry I didn't sleep all night,I knew you were so worried about me!" and then he explained why he couldn't call.
After that incident I started to pray for me to have peace when Bob went on a trip. I realized that I could not let the fear that something may happen to him paralyze me. I always think it is ironic that I would have married a pilot( I have control issues,I am a woman), until I realized it was the perfect plan for me! Being the wife of a pilot has helped me to grow in my faith and lean on the peace that only Christ can give me. God has used my marriage to shape my character into things that I never would have been able to shape otherwise!
I remember in the beginning it was really hard to let go of the fear, I would try not to worry but in the back of my mind I always knew how long a trip would take and when I should expect my call, but as I continued to grow and rely on my faith, it became less and less frequent. Until one day the fear was no longer there. I stopped losing sleep over the late night trips, I stopped watching the weather report, I stopped trying to keep track of times it took to get somewhere, I was released. (incidently, this is about the time that we got flight tracker!)
I always pray for Bob when he is flying and I will always be a little concerned for his safety especially, when the weather is bad, but I have learned that God is in control of Bob's life to. He keeps him safe when he leaves for trips and when he comes home. I know that I have learned that being a pilot's wife takes strength,patience, and Faith. Strength to take care of the home while he is away,patience when he has to leave, and faith for everything. My heart will ache every time I hear about a pilot losing their lives in a plane accident, I cannot imagine ever getting that phone call, but I don't worry about it anymore, I know that it is out of my control. So now I just enjoy Bob living his life's dream, doing something he is passionate about-this is one of Bob's "races" in life that he won, and when he comes home I am always waiting for my pilot husband at the finish line!