I was feeling a bit down and overtired.
Unexpected circumstances caused us to get to bed at 12:30 am, and the 3:30 wake-up call came very early.
We picked up David’s stepdad to drop him off at the hospital at 5a and headed to Orlando. We had enough time for a yummy breakfast at Denny’s and I made it through airport security just in time to find out my plane was on an hour’s delay. I spent the next 3 hours trying to stay awake alternating between doing laps around the airport and playing games on my phone.
Finally, we boarded.
I wanted to get to a seat and veg out for the 2.5-hour trip home. I wanted a nap, not a conversation. I scanned the front rows and in the 5th row, an older woman was sitting by the window. I smiled and took the aisle seat. I could tell we both hoped the middle would remain unoccupied.
As the last of the people boarded, she leaned over and made an amusing remark. We both laughed. That started a conversation that lasted the entire way home. I have never opened up to a stranger, however, we discussed everything. I learned she was traveling from Palm Bay to Derry and then from there to see her son, Christopher, who was born with tubular sclerosis. He spent most of his life at the Hogan Center in Danvers and now resides in a group home.
Her daughter was an event planner in Utah and her husband passed away 4 years ago. She loved him very much and teared up as she mentioned him. We talked about the loss of my friends in a car crash and how their family and I have become close in our shared grief. I told her about my family, my kids, and how David and I met.
I know that she used to fly for Delta.
She enjoyed flying and hadn’t retired that long ago. She told me the story of having met Ted Kennedy when her son was younger. Senator Kennedy asked to hold her son, took her contact information, and a few weeks later, she received a phone call, from him. He had organized a trip for her son and the other children to attend the circus. They had free reign to do whatever their hearts desired! She became friends with Rose Kennedy as well and every year, she would receive a check in the mail to do something special for her son.
We discussed my work.
Past and present with people with disabilities and how my work prepared me for my own children’s challenges as they were growing up. She disclosed that her son had been given a life expectancy of 6, but had recently turned 55. She then told me that the purpose of her trip north was probably the last trip to see her son, as he was in hospice. Then we talked about the blessings that God bestows on us, in ways that most people don’t understand. How he knows who to entrust with his special blessings.
As we were approaching the landing
She reached out and took my hand. We finally got around to long overdue introductions. Then she said something that made my heart feel absolute love. She said, “I don’t believe in coincidences. Everything happens for a reason. I believe God put you in this seat today because I was dreading making this trip. Thank you for listening and sharing with me. You are a blessing.” I was so moved, the tiredness, and sadness I had felt at the beginning of the trip had disappeared. I hugged her and said, I feel the same way. We parted ways, but I think we were both reassured that this world is still full of love. Anything can happen in a random encounter.