Alva James-Johnson: A parent's worst nightmare

My two teenage daughters flew out of town earlier this week to spend spring break with my parents. It was the girls’ first time flying alone and they were, of course, very excited.

My husband and I hugged them tightly before they boarded the plane, my eyes moist with tears.

"Look, Mom is crying," my younger daughter said to her sister, and they both made fun of my sentimental ways.

A few seconds later, the girls were off on their great big adventure -- without us.

I was emotional that day for a couple of reasons.

The first was just the idea of my children becoming so independent.

I've been struggling with that reality ever since my oldest daughter got her driver's license several months ago. She will head for college this fall, with her sister just three years behind her. And my husband and I will soon have an empty nest.

On one hand, I look forward to starting a new chapter of my life.

On the other, I know it will be a major adjustment. The girls have been such a significant part of our lives that the house just won't be the same without them.

But that wasn't the only reason for my emotional episode that day.

As I said goodbye at the airport, I also considered all that could go wrong while they traveled. Yet, I figured the odds were in their favor considering the thousands of planes that fly every day without incident. So I prayed that God would bring them back to us safely and left them in his hands.

But I was soon reminded just how risky flying could be.

The next day, a German jetliner crashed in the French Alps, killing 150 people. Among the dead were 16 German 10th-graders on their way home after a weeklong Spanish exchange program in Barcelona.

When I heard the news, I immediately thought about the parents who, like my husband and I, probably hugged their children tightly when they dropped them off at the airport, prayed for their safety and looked forward to reuniting with them in a few days.

While there is no way to fully grasp the level of anguish those parents are now experiencing, I'm sure the tragedy is their worst nightmare come true.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash, and it is now being reported that the co-pilot may have intentionally caused the plane to plummet.

What would possess someone to do something so horrific is beyond comprehension.

It's just another reminder that the world is a scary place and there's no way to totally protect our children from all the evil around them.

My heart goes out to all the families now facing that reality.

Alva James-Johnson, 706-571-8521. Reach her on Facebook at AlvaJamesJohnsonLedger.

This story was originally published March 26, 2015 at 9:33 PM with the headline "Alva James-Johnson: A parent's worst nightmare."