Final Flight by Susan L.

  It was a lovely day yesterday, unusually mild with a watery sun because of the rain clouds making their way in from the south. I was over at my friend's place when a plane circled the rural property several times before landing on the freshly mowed private runway. The pilot was there to pay final tribute to my friend Wally, a former pilot himself, by taking his ashes into the sky for one last flight over his beloved farm.
  It was a beautiful send off. As the plane revved its engine for takeoff, it made me want to fly right along side of it. It sped down the runway, awkward and rumbling, until the wheels left the ground and it became a thing of grace. As it swooped over the property, the single prop, brilliant white plane glowed in the sun against the darkening sky.
  Wally's wife is a wonderful woman who I have admired for many years. We stood in the lee of the airplane hanger where Wally's earthbound plane still sleeps. We stood in silence watching the plane swoop and turn over the farm.
   I hooked arms with her as we walked back to the house after the plane had flown away and vanished in the distance. No words necessary. Sometimes there aren't any words needed.
  The gardens are still full of Snapdragons in all shades and colours, Wally's favorite. They haven't been touched by the frost yet and stood tall and nodding to us as we passed. It's a miracle they've survived this late in the season.
  Thank You, Lord, for that gift.
  "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance." Eccl 3:4