A Godsend in the Air Over Omaha!

I was on a business trip earlier this month, flying from city to city with a myriad of other people shuffling around me.  Some people were alone, some were with families, one was a mom who was traveling alone with her three children.

Waiting in line at the security checkpoint is always interesting.  Sometimes I’m in a hurry and frustrated with the security services and other times I’m not feeling quite so rushed and I just stand back and watch people through this process.  This particular day I was early to the airport and not feeling pressure to make it to the gate quickly.

I stood there in some amazement and wonder at this single mother and the number of items that she had to go on the conveyor belt to be screened.  As she juggled a baby in one arm and two little girls scurrying around her legs, she must have had six different bags and backpacks along with a stroller, baby seat and other items.  I could relate as I’ve traveled with our three children and know how that feels.  What made me feel inferior was that I’d be crazy with all of that stuff if I didn’t have my wife there taking care of it with me!  I was a ways back in line, and it was also interesting to see the other people behind her with their strained look of impatience as she was coordinating this circus.  I kept thinking to myself, “Is anyone going to offer to help her?” and was somewhat shocked that not one single person did.  It’s interesting, and possibly unfortunate at how we tend to “mind our own business” in the world.  I know this mom would have been appreciative of a helping hand.

I got to the plane and settled into my seat and pulled out my Esquire magazine.  I flipped through the pages and saw the Rolex ad and the snazzy new clothes.  The fragrance of the newest colognes wafted up to my nose, which I must note was more pleasant than the stale air of the plane.  There were all of the trappings of success laid out in a magazine that I desire and work diligently to achieve.  I love Esquire magazine, not just because of all of these things, but the articles are well-written and smart.  It’s worth picking up if you’re not already a subscriber.

We lifted off the runway and climbed up to cruising altitude and I was fully engaged in this issue of the magazine.  There was a bit of turbulence as we made our way to 38,000 feet above the surface of the earth, and a few of the big bumps made my heart beat just a bit faster.  Something interesting happens when you realize that your way above the earth in a tin can and have absolutely no control of what happens to you.  You’ve given all authority over your safety to the ground crew who checked over the plane before it left the runway, and the two pilots sitting in the cockpit managing all of the technology at their fingertips.  A quick prayer to get us back 0n the ground safely and I was back to my magazine.

Then it hit me.  As I read it the tears came to my eyes.  I couldn’t believe it!  I tried to hold back so I wasn’t blubbering on the shoulder of the businessman next to me, and at the same time I felt an overwhelming joy that I could literally feel the words that were being expressed on a page in front of me.  The most inanimate of objects, paper and ink, revealing of one of the great truths of life right here before me.  This single response in the “What I’ve Learned” section by Lon Solomon, pastor of the McLean Bible Church was a godsend in the air above Omaha.

“Jill was born perfectly normal.  At three months she started having seizures, and they got worse.  Eventually she lost the ability to speak.  She’s probably had five thousand grand mals or more, and has serious brain injury.  She’s sixteen now, and non-verbal.  It took nine years, but finally the doctors figured out that she had mitochondrial disease.  The mitochondria are the parts of your cells that produce energy, and hers don’t work right.  Her brain doesn’t get enough energy.  She used to have six or eight seizures a day.  Once, she had nineteen.  We never slept through the night.

My daughter has taught me humility.  She requires constant, permanent care.  She’s not fully potty trained.  She has simple pleasures.  Taking a walk, picking up sticks, is what she loves to do.  Riding in our van and looking out the window gives her great pleasure.  I think we get so caught up in the complexity and the speed of things that we forget that that doesn’t bring real happiness.  My daughter is amazingly happy.  She doesn’t know she’s retarded, that she’s disabled.  She needs love. She has been Walden to me, in reminding me what is important.  It’s not having a BlackBerry.  Or having your name in Esquire magazine.  It’s serving somebody.  God has given Brenda and me the gift of serving Jill, who will be one year old forever.  At first I despised this fate and viewed it as a curse.  Now I know that it is a privilege.”

This passage reminded me of how happy I am in the midst of life’s trials and tribulations.  I was reminded that seeing life through the special lens that kids have is so important to preserve.  I wanted to re-commit myself to appreciating the simple things and burning the memories of my children as they grow up so deeply into myself that I would never lose them. After all, my children were thankfully not afflicted with a lifetime injury or disease.

They might grow up and enter the work world and learn to become stressed out and fearful of the future like so many people are today.  I hope that they don’t fall victim to that mentality. They will have the opportunity to chase after all of their material dreams and goals.  They will have the ability to reach out and touch other lives and lead others in positive and uplifting ways.  I am thankful for the blessing that they are to my life, and the blessing that they might become to others.  I hope that I can do a good job of teaching them the humility that Mr. Solomon refers to so that they will always be appreciative of the simple pleasures and recognize the value that each and every person brings to the world.

As for the single mother with those three children in the airport, I hope that they arrived at their destination into the loving arms of friends or family.  I pray that that mother appreciates her children and finds pleasure in all of the simple moments that they are uniquely able to bring into her life. And I hope that those children will find a way to hold on to their youthful positivity and transform that into true happiness.

I must admit that I still have a desire for the finer things in life and a willingness to work hard to achieve them.  I still plan on having that nice watch and fine family vacations.  I am also more acutely aware, thanks to Mr. Solomon and this simple piece of writing, that the most important treasures in my life are not worn around my wrist or accomplished by travel on a plane or a ship.   The greatest achievement in my life will be revealed in the people that I can affect in a positive and uplifting way, starting first with my wife and my children.

And for you, I hope that you cherish the simple pleasures in your life and look back on your years with a sense of fulfillment based on the people that you have invested your time and energy into as well.