Fall my favorite time of Year! It’s amazing to me the thrill I get when I enjoy the colors of the fall leaves. It is almost a natural high—not in the “drunk” sense of the word, but more in the spiritual closeness it brings me to God. To see the magnificent colors through His eyes, it is enthralling
since it is fall here in Cincinnati. The leaves are changing; in fact, most have changed to brown and fallen to the ground but the enjoyment of the leaves is worth the next three or four months of bare trees.
One of the exciting things I was able to do was to see these colors from the basket of a hot air balloon! Taking a ride in a hot air balloon has been on my “bucket list” for a while and I toyed with the idea more than once. Since my husband Bill, is not that excited about heights, I had to seek out my high-flying friend, Pat Stirnkorb.
Together with the two pilot and co-pilot, we traveled from the Blue Ash Airport to somewhere far above West Chester, nearing Middletown, Ohio. The view was spectacular, especially when we traveled over Sharon Woods lake and could almost touch the branches as our pilot dipped down for a closer look. I was a little nervous, I must admit, but the pilot kept telling me to give it 10 minutes in the air and I would be hooked. He was right! I could keep flying forever.
The peace and serenity that encompasses the balloon comes from the knowledge that those on the ground are still engrossed in their fast pace life. All the while we were smoothly sailing on the winds. It was exhilarating! But it was more than just a balloon ride. It meant facing my fears—fear of not being in control, fear of where we would land, fear of IF we would land, and probably more than I can think of now, since all my fears have been faced! Riding in a hot air balloon means leaving everything up to God. He is the only one who can “steer” the balloon by capturing the winds and directing them.
We were made aware of His might power when, after trying to land three times, we came down in a soccer field behind an apartment complex.
Almost immediately we were surrounded by kids and their parents, rushing in to see the contraption and asking questions about the ride.
One woman, a single mother of two, we later learned, is battling cancer. It just happens to be the very same kind of cancer Pat’s sister had (she is now in total remission); the woman shared with us how she was looking for a new oncologist, but having a tough time finding one who would take her government insurance. It just so happens that Pat’s mother is undergoing chemo every two weeks. We put her in touch with the doctor who immediately said she would take her as a patient, with or without insurance.
Does it really seem like a coincidence that we “just happened” to land in the field behind an apartment building spoke to a woman battling the very same kind of cancer Pat’s sister had, and just happened to be looking for a new oncologist? To believe that we had control over that situation or that it was “just by chance” would be to ignore the awesome power that only God has in our world.
Thanks to Bob and his crew from Balloon Adventures.
Until next time—Enjoy!
Kathryn Raaker
Posted by kraaker123 at 6:47 PM 0 comments
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Fall my favorite time of Year! It’s amazing to me the thrill I get when I enjoy the colors of the fall leaves. It is almost a natural high—not in the “drunk” sense of the word, but more in the spiritual closeness it brings me to God. To see the magnificent colors through His eyes, it is enthralling
since it is fall here in Cincinnati. The leaves are changing; in fact, most have changed to brown and fallen to the ground but the enjoyment of the leaves is worth the next three or four months of bare trees.
One of the exciting things I was able to do was to see these colors from the basket of a hot air balloon! Taking a ride in a hot air balloon has been on my “bucket list” for a while and I toyed with the idea more than once. Since my husband Bill, is not that excited about heights, I had to seek out my high-flying friend, Pat Stirnkorb.
Together with the two pilot and co-pilot, we traveled from the Blue Ash Airport to somewhere far above West Chester, nearing Middletown, Ohio. The view was spectacular, especially when we traveled over Sharon Woods lake and could almost touch the branches as our pilot dipped down for a closer look. I was a little nervous, I must admit, but the pilot kept telling me to give it 10 minutes in the air and I would be hooked. He was right! I could keep flying forever.
The peace and serenity that encompasses the balloon comes from the knowledge that those on the ground are still engrossed in their fast pace life. All the while we were smoothly sailing on the winds. It was exhilarating! But it was more than just a balloon ride. It meant facing my fears—fear of not being in control, fear of where we would land, fear of IF we would land, and probably more than I can think of now, since all my fears have been faced! Riding in a hot air balloon means leaving everything up to God. He is the only one who can “steer” the balloon by capturing the winds and directing them.
We were made aware of His might power when, after trying to land three times, we came down in a soccer field behind an apartment complex.
Almost immediately we were surrounded by kids and their parents, rushing in to see the contraption and asking questions about the ride.
One woman, a single mother of two, we later learned, is battling cancer. It just happens to be the very same kind of cancer Pat’s sister had (she is now in total remission); the woman shared with us how she was looking for a new oncologist, but having a tough time finding one who would take her government insurance. It just so happens that Pat’s mother is undergoing chemo every two weeks. We put her in touch with the doctor who immediately said she would take her as a patient, with or without insurance.
Does it really seem like a coincidence that we “just happened” to land in the field behind an apartment building spoke to a woman battling the very same kind of cancer Pat’s sister had, and just happened to be looking for a new oncologist? To believe that we had control over that situation or that it was “just by chance” would be to ignore the awesome power that only God has in our world.
Thanks to Bob and his crew from Balloon Adventures.
Until next time—Enjoy!
Kathryn Raaker
Posted by kraaker123 at 6:47 PM 0 comments
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