flight 3537

you meet many interesting souls when you talk to people as you travel. i hate to admit i usually just get on the plane and mind my own business. this time i decided to go about this a little differently: i decided to participate....

as i neared my seat on the flight to dallas, i noticed the young man who would be next to me. he looked interesting, and i had an intense desire to chat with him even before i sat down. he was soft spoken and intelligent: you can see that in someone’s eyes if you look close enough. graciously he was extroverted enough to engage me in conversation first. (my introverted self is in a constant battle with my extroverted self to figure out how to begin a conversation. some people i know are good at it: they just begin. i cannot “just begin." that probably seems unnecessarily complicated to you e’s.) he is a student at oxford getting a degree in politics. we talked about education, lighting, morroco, sushi and “our town.” his parents are from nigeria, and he’s trying to figure out what to do with his life after oxford. he says it’s just a stepping stone to bigger things. i made him laugh. i think that suprised him.

in dallas on my way back my flight was delayed, and i had to sit in the airport for 4 hours. janice had been there as long as i, and she wanted to tell me about the house she and her son built in dallas. yes, there were even pictures. she was in a wheelchair, and needed a little assistance with her stuff, a trip to the bathroom, and a venti caramel macchiato. we laughed and raced up and down the terminal.

you know it’s funny--the LORD created such varried souls. each is needy in a different way. my oxford cowboy seemed anything but needy: his legs worked, he was young, strong of body and of mind, and yet there was a struggle in his soul to figure out if he should go to class, where he fit in his family, his culture, the universe. janice was clearly needy: she was forced to rely on her metal and vinyl home, she was cold with no way to get herself a blanket or cup of coffee, she just wanted to get home where it was easier for her to get about. the beauty is that GOD desiged each detail of their walk. nothing went unchecked, unplanned, or unaided. i hope i helped them take the next step.....with joy.