Yesterday we dropped our oldest son Micah off at O’Hare airport for his mission’s trip to Kenya. Micah will be serving with Operation Renewed Hope, an organization that travels the world providing medical care to people who are desperately in need. It seems like just yesterday that Hannah traveled with ORH to Albania, but now she is gone and Micah is becoming an adult and following in her footsteps.
In some ways it’s hard to see him go. It’s hard to see him get older, knowing that he is becoming a man and, in a few weeks, he will be in college. It’s hard to see him only four months away from that point in life where we lost Hannah. Even though we know that her accident in no way relates to his safety, yet that “glass ceiling” still seems to make us cringe. It’s also hard because it seems like with each passing day, Hannah is being left behind as the rest of us age and grow, yet she no longer does. Finally, it’s hard because we are concerned for his safety. The travel, distance, and needs of the region in which he is going each make us worry that if something would happen, we are not there to protect or help him.
With all those fears in mind, we still try to discipline our minds to focus on the truths of reality. He is growing up, and we need to allow him to grow and experience life for himself. We know that he and the other boys will pass her in age, education, and life. That’s just the way it is… We can’t hold him back because of Hannah’s accident. We remind ourselves that even though she traveled around the world, it was a simple bite of brownie that took her life, only a few miles from home. We recognize that his life is in God’s hands and that although his life is impacted by the loss of his sister, her passing cannot define his life. He has his own dreams, goals, purpose, and future. In short, he is his own person, and we can’t hold him back because of Hannah’s death and our fears.
After dropping him off yesterday, they were delayed almost two hours before departing on their 13-hour flight. This delay then caused him to miss his connecting flight in Qatar. So, now they have a 15-hour layover before they can complete the final leg of their journey. Needless to say, it was not the start that we were hoping for, but we are constantly reminded that we are never in control. “Control” is just an illusion.
We are blessed
P.S. We can’t do this alone. If you would like to donate to Hannah Helps:
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Thank You!
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