Devin Strong
Spirit of Peace Lutheran
More than 25 years ago, my grandfather went tandem-skydiving at the age of 90 somewhere in the Atlanta area. He was the oldest person at that site every to do such a crazy thing. Then a couple of years later, not to be outdone, my father did the same thing, so making a tandem jump myself has long been in the back of my mind. After all, it’s in my genes, but it’s hard to find a place that will take a disabled jumper like me, so it didn’t happen until two weeks ago.
We were on vacation visiting friends and family in the Midwest when my buddy suggested that we all stop at a small airfield in Rochelle, Illinois for lunch. They have a restaurant there where you can watch skydivers while you eat. It was a beautiful day, so we picked a table outside to get the best view. The solo divers were so graceful. They just dropped out of the sky and landed like they were walking their dogs. Just then, my wife noticed a guy in a wheelchair being helped into the small plane to jump. I got excited, thinking, “Maybe I can, too.”
But reality quickly set in. I had no appointment and no training. Surely, there is no way that I can jump today, right?
It turns out they were happy to take me up. My “training” consisted of watching a video designed to scare perspective jumpers to death and signing about two dozen digital documents filled with small print. I am pretty sure that I now own a small house somewhere in northern Illinois.
Within 90 minutes, three guys hoisted me into a twin-engine plane with a half a dozen other tandem jumpers, and we were on our way to 14,000 feet. I don’t bend as well as others, so they put me in last. I was basically lying parallel to the sliding door, blocking everyone’s exit, with an experienced jumper strapped to my back. I knew that there was only one way that I was leaving that plane now. When my guy left the plane, I had no choice but to go with him.
Was I scared? Of course! I just fell out of a perfectly good airplane! It’s cold and windy up there but also exhilarating. I haven’t walked on land for more than 23 years, and here I was soaring 2 ½ miles about the Earth! At that height falling feels an awful lot like flying. You see it in the Marvel movies, but I never dreamed that I would experience it. At 9,000 feet he popped the parachute. There is just a rope handle on either side to steer. My guy let me try it for a minute.
Then in his skilled hands we did a couple of spins while being treated to the best view of Illinois farmland I have ever seen. We landed exactly where he wanted us to without a scratch. Wow!!
What lessons can I share from this wild adventure? It was a God-moment. I believe that the Lord put me at that particular airfield with that particular expert on that particular day so I could have a bucket list experience.
Keep an eye out for your own God-moments. They are there. Also, I sincerely believe that the more risks we take, the more fun we will have.
