I'm thinking about some of the people who have helped "build" me. Those people who show their love in so many different ways. Yesterday, I met a woman who knew my friend Lisa (who died from cancer). It was very sweet to hear what she remembers and misses most about Lisa. She misses her laugh.

I like it that we give little bits of ourselves to the people we spend time with. We leave a bit without losing any of ourselves ... seems like we actually grow when we give ourselves away. I appreciate the flexibility of getting to choose...for the most part. It's sad when people you like are gone or dead. I am thankful for those little bits they leave behind.

Sometimes this project I am working on seems too big - too much. Whenever I accomplish something I say to myself - no big deal. But when I'm in the middle of working on it, I get scared. I rub my tongue over the top of my mouth until they both hurt. After I complete this certif. I plan to keep learning aviation related things and I plan to relearn Spanish...or TexMex. And then that is it! Then I will go to the beachand dig for sanddollars and maybe relax. lol

There is a drawing I want to draw - of H's feet with her baby "flying" arms outstretched and joy and trust written all over her face. I want to give that to H as a thank you - a love note - of what she has meant in my life. And I want to watercolor that image for the FI I work with now. He may like it - I'll keep a copy for myself...I like the story it tells. I like to do a little piece of art after each of these steps. Most people like the wild airplane watercolor I did after the the private certif, but my favorite piece is the one I did while working on the HPA endorsement. It is of me - how I saw myself flying - via my swing - as a child. I loved to swing and maybe one of these days I'll love to sit in a porch swing at the beach ... and maybe I will remember the people I have helped to learn how to fly.

I haven't decided what the piece that commemorates the CFI certif will look like. It feels like a stack of books right now. I am willing to pay this price to get to help someone on that journey. The CFIs who stand out in my logbook have done a lot more than build a pilot. It's kinda cool.