This is Going to Be Awesome

Taking life notes at thirty thousand feet

She shouts, "This is going to be awesome," as the plane starts moving. The little girl turns back and smiles at me from the corner of her seat as her mom shares it’s her first time flying.

The plane takes off and she fixes her gaze on the window. I’m no frequent flyer but this is not my first flight—I’m going through the motions.

I sit behind her, and a part of me wonders when was the last time I felt such innocence. I look out the window and feel as if God is staring back at us.

“You want me to write about this, don’t you?” I ask God as we’ve been having an ongoing conversation about my writing lately. He neither confirms nor denies but I can’t stop smiling now.

I think about my brother, when I was her age I would probably be sitting next to him on a plane. I miss him every day and yet I have to calculate how much time has passed since he died—19 years to be exact.

The plane starts tilting to the right, and the little girl panics and starts asking out loud, “Why are we tilting, why are we tilting?” Her mom points at the window and kindly replies, “So we can turn.”

I get it, I don’t like the tilting, I’d rather avoid the unexpected turns. And yet every single turn has led me to this moment.

I thank God for allowing me to sit behind this little girl. I say a prayer over her life as I open a new note on my phone and type away.

Since you’re reading this, I want to pass on the message.

We just started 2025 and I don’t know the tilts and turns that got you here, but I believe grace is leading the way.

So sit back, look out the window (God is looking back at you), enjoy the view, and remember… This is going to be awesome.

Talk soon,

Stella