¶Six years ago I snapped this picture of eleven-year-old Jake sitting in the cockpit after a vacation flight. At the time, I was clueless as to the significance of the moment, thinking it was only about getting those coveted plastic wings.

¶Yesterday, while driving from Tiffin to Fremont, I looked through the sunroof in my car and watched seventeen-year-old Jake fly directly over me while he made his first flight as a fully licensed pilot. He even gave me a wing-wave.

¶And now I fully appreciate that moment from six years ago - Jake was in awe of the Delta pilot then, and I am in awe of Jake now.

¶He’s officially a pilot, and that’s truly awesome. Congrats Jake! All of your hard work and dedication has paid off, and we’re all incredibly proud of you.