I SAW THIS GENTLEMAN, TIM, in Boston’s Logan airport with the sister he’d been visiting. It appeared he was both deaf and blind, as I observed her signing into his hand for him to feel her words. When he came aboard the plane he had been assigned the middle seat of my row. The kind gentleman who had the aisle seat graciously gave it up for him.
At this point Tim was traveling alone. The flight attendants sincerely wanted to assist him, but had no way to communicate. I watched as they didn’t flinch when he reached out to touch their faces and arms. They took his hand and tried so hard to communicate with him, to no avail. He had some verbal ability, but clearly could not understand them.
The man who had given up his seat did his best to assist him with things like opening coffee creamer and putting it in his coffee. When Tim made the attempt to stand up and feel his way to the restroom, his seat mate immediately was up to help him.
The flight attendants were talking among themselves and someone suggested paging to see if anyone on board knew sign language. That’s when this lovely young woman came into the picture. 15 years old, she learned sign-language because she had dyslexia, and it was the easiest foreign language for her to learn. For the rest of the flight she attended to Tim and made sure his needs were met.
It was fascinating to watch as she signed one letter at a time into his hand. He was able to ‘read’ her signing, and they carried on an animated conversation. When he asked her if she was pretty, she blushed and laughed as the seat mate, who had learned a few signs, communicated an enthusiastic yes to Tim.
I don’t know when I’ve ever seen so many people rally to take care of another human being. All of us in the immediate rows were laughing and smiling and enjoying his obvious delight in having someone to talk to.
Huge kudos to the flight attendants of Alaska Airlines who went above and beyond to meet Tim’s needs. I can’t say enough about this beautiful young woman named Clara who didn’t think twice about helping her fellow passenger. It was a lovely reminder, in this time of too much awfulness, that there are still good, good people who are willing to look out for each other.
LYNETTE SCRIBNER – POSTED ON ‘FACEBOOK’
ENERGY
Someday
after we have mastered the winds
the waves, the tides and gravity
we shall harness
the energies of
LOVE.
Then
for the second time in history
we will have discovered
FIRE!
(TEILHARD DE CHARDIN)
NI HAO
Chopsticks are one of the reasons the Chinese never invented custard.
SPIKE MILLIGAN
TASTE IT – ENJOY IT!
Your problem is how you are going to spend this one and precious life you have been issued. Whether you’re going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out the truth about who you are.
ANNE LAMOTT – GRADUATION ADDRESS AT BERKELEY UNIVERSITY
I WISH:
that children didn’t grow up so quickly …
that dogs lived longer …
that coffee was free …
and that minds were more open.
HEATHER HUFFER
CARPE DIEM – SEIZE THE DAY!
Every
man
DIES.
Not
every
man
really
LIVES.
MEL GIBSON – ‘BRAVEHEART’
LOSING SOMEONE IS A JOURNEY …
You don’t just lose someone once.
You lose them over and over,
sometimes in the same day.
When the loss, momentary forgotten,
creeps up
And attacks you from behind.
Fresh waves of grief as the realisation hits home:
they are gone.
Again.
You don’t just lose someone once.
You lose them every time you open your eyes
to a new dawn.
And as you awaken
so does your memory,
so does the jolting bolt of lightning that
rips into your heart:
they are gone.
Again.
Losing someone is a journey,
not a one-off.
There is no end to the loss,
there is only a learned skill on how to stay afloat
when it washes over.
Be kind to those who are sailing this stormy sea.
They have a journey ahead of them
and a daily shock to the system each time
they realise:
they are gone.
Again.
You don’t just lose someone once.
You lose them every day
for a lifetime.
DONNA ASHWORTH – DONNAASHWORTH.COM
ALL OR NOTHING!
The spiritual life is painful. No one grows spiritually willingly. You have to be clobbered. This is all-or-nothing stuff. It’s like being a little pregnant. Either you want to grow spiritually, and therefore are willing to experience the pain of growth, or you don’t. You don’t get spiritual in a weekend; nor can you see if the Holy Spirit is available for a quick five-minute refresher course.
Struggle is necessary, yes, but it’s not awful. Genuine faith is a great adventure with all the ups-and-downs of a love affair. It is far more exciting, far more mysterious, far more uncontrollable than anyone has ever imagined.
ALAN JONES – ‘THE DOOR’
LIKE A BALLOON
Sometimes I feel like I’m seeing it all at once, and it’s too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that’s about to burst … And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and it flows through me like rain. And I can’t feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life.
You have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m sure. But don’t worry … you will someday.
Lester Burnham – ‘AMERICAN BEAUTY’
PROMISES
The
BUTTERFLY
and
the
ROSE
have
this
in
common:
they’re both
promises
fulfilled …
for a
COCOON
is a promise,
and so is a
BUD.
SHARILY ADAIR
TAKE HEART:
You have been assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved!
MEL ROBBINS
