We got to go to the Air Show at our local AF Base a few weeks ago! It was sooo awesome!
We showed up just in time to see the amazing Air Force Thunderbirds!
Holy Cow...They are unREAL!!!
The Thunderbirds Team: The United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron plans and performs precision aerial maneuvers to exhibit the capabilities of modern high performance aircraft and the high degree of professional skill to operate those aircraft. As Air Force ambassadors who travel the world over, the Thunderbird team strives to showcase the integrity, selfless service and excellence embodied by American Airmen everywhere.
They are so impressive...we were in awe!
They look like they are crashing!
Watching those Thunderbirds up in the sky! It was a gorgeous day for the airshow ~ but SUPER WINDY!!!
Their precision was incredible!
The director of the airshow was a guy in our ward so a large majority of our ward attended. The following day was Fast and Testimony meeting...one of the women who went to the Air Show bore her testimony. She told us about her experience watching the Thunderbirds as her family was seated right at the fence between the crowd and the staging area for the Thunderbirds. Before the show, these pilots walked their show sequence on the tarmac as if it was a dance ~ even though they have probably practiced their timing and manuevers thousands of times! After the Thunderbirds were finished, the pilots came out to sign autographs and talk to the crowd. One of those pilots mentioned that he'd gotten blisters on his hands because he was holding onto the controls so tight to stay on course and avoid getting blown even a little off course from the wind. Failure to stay on course in this instance would be catastrophic!
Then she related this analogy to adversity that we experience. She remarked that if we regularly feed our spirits and make decisions ahead of certain circumstances, then we will be prepared for these trials/adversity {as the pilots had prepared for their airshow ~ including being prepared to withstand such wind.} But even though we practiced and prepared, the adversity and trials will cause blisters because sometimes times are tough.
Sean was super cute here...he's quite the talker. I think he takes after my dad. When he plays pitcher on our baseball team, he's often talking away to the coach from the other team who is controlling the pitching machine. He is very inquisitive and always thinkin! Well this pilot was encouraging questions. As we waited three kids asked if there were guns on the plane. Nope. Ryan got up and asked if it had any bombs...{He usually has great questions too...but really loves talking about bombs on all these jets.} So Sean's turn comes up and he asks:
"When was this plane created?" 1960s
"How long have you been flying this plane?" 16 years
"What is this plane used for?" Training and practice.
What good questions! So my dad! My dad is the King of questions at Museums or tours...and we've learned so much more than we otherwise would have because of them! Good questions dad and Sean!
The Airshow was so awesome! We hope we can spend even more time there next year!
I loved this analogy to Adversity and Trials so much. It was so windy. Remembering these planes that flew SOOO close together, sometimes passing eachother upside down or on it's side, and within such close proximity and realizing how the wind affects planes really made this little analogy so impressive to me. It makes so much sense. I can imagine the pilots who have trained and trained and are prepared for any circumstance, focusing and putting to use all of their knowledge to keep them safe and on course. I have been thinking about this subject a lot in the last few months. Adversity or Trials come so differently for people; to some it is the loss of a child, the loss of a job, a child with disabilities, a child who strays from the family, financial struggles, emotional struggles, health troubles, and on and on and on... So I kept a few quotes that I've run across in the last few months, and figured this was a good place to put them, for my future reference...but by no means is this a well researched collection of such quotes...just a few worth remembering...and adding to.
No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God. It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven. ("Orson F. Whitney's Philosophy of Education," Orson F. Whitney; quoted in Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, p.98-99)
"If ever you are tempted to become discouraged or to lose faith, remember those faithful Saints who remained true in Kirtland. Hold on a little longer. You can do this! You are part of a special generation. You were prepared and preserved to live at this important time in the existence of our beautiful planet earth. You have a celestial pedigree and therefore have all the necessary talents to make your life an eternal success story."
Dieter F. Utchdorf
"As you and I walk the pathway Jesus walked, let us listen for the sound of sandaled feet. Let us reach out for the Carpenter’s hand. Then we shall come to know Him. He may come to us as one unknown, without a name, as by the lakeside He came to those men who knew Him not. He speaks to us the same words, “Follow thou me,” and sets us to the task which He has to fulfill for our time. He commands, and to those who obey Him, whether they be wise or simple, He will reveal Himself in the toils, the conflicts, the sufferings that they shall pass through in His fellowship; and they shall learn in their own experience who He is."
--Thomas S. Monson, "The Paths Jesus Walked", Ensign, Sep 1992, 2
"As we follow the Savior, without question there will be challenges that confront us. Approached with faith, these refining experiences bring a deeper conversion of the Savior’s reality. Approached in a worldly way, these same experiences cloud our view and weaken our resolve."
--Neil L. Andersen, "Never Leave Him", Ensign, Nov. 2010, 39–42
