Do you ever turn on your cell phone, see a waiting voicemail, and immediately get the intuition you are about to hear some bad news? This happened to me a couple weeks ago. I had just landed in Atlanta. I turned on my phone and I saw I had a voicemail from my sister. Usually, I know it’s nothing. This time I knew it was something. The pit in my stomach grew. One of the downsides of flying is being away from home when family matters arise. But, I’ve also learned that having a caring circle of family and friends to turn to in these times is what matters most. As you all know, family matters when it comes to family matters.

My sister called to tell me our Mom had fallen in the garage while she was trying to get into the car to go to her pulmonologist appointment. My sister had to call 911 to have the firemen help get my Mom up due to our Mom’s limited mobility. Since the firehouse is across from our subdivision, the firemen arrived very quickly and got my Mom back into the house. My sister subsequently canceled my Mom’s doctor appointment. I called my sister back as I was walking to the crew lounge. I was prepared to jump on the next flight home. I eventually stood in an alcove down by the concourse trains while I talked to my sister. I figured it was more private than talking in the crew lounge. Yessiree. Passengers are more worried about getting to their next flight than they are listening to phone conversations. I’ll admit. All conversations in the crew lounge are fair game for everyone to listen to. Heck. It’s just the nature of the beast. The crew lounge is usually filled with numerous Skyters and Skytresses. There are very few places to conduct a private phone call in our lounge. Some Skytresses try to conduct a private phone call in the women’s restroom. But, I can tell you all…there is not enough toilet flushing to keep a cell phone conversation private in the Skytress restroom. Egads!

When I arrived in the lounge I saw my fellow commuting buddy Jay. Jay and I had flown to Atlanta together. I told Jay my Mom had fallen that morning. Skyter Jay completely understood the complexities of being away from home when a family member is having a trying day. Jay offered me comforting words as we sat at the computers pulling up our trip rotations. I was extremely grateful. I had just walked away from Jay when my sister called again. She said our Mom’s blood sugars were extremely high. The doctor told my sister to call 911 immediately and have my Mom go to the ER. I felt sick. My Mom will soon be 83. My sister told me to sit tight and she would keep me updated on things. My mind was racing. I felt helpless waiting. I had no longer hung up with my sister when another St. Louis commuter walked by and inquired how I was doing. He was heading upstairs to catch his flight home. Normally I’m not too forthcoming with information about my Mom heading to the ER. But, St. Louis commuters are a tight-knit group. So, I filled Skyter Will in on what was transpiring back home. Skyter Will’s genuine compassion made me feel better. He then revealed to me his brother is dealing with an ongoing medical condition. My heart felt for Will, his brother and Will’s family. Although Skyter Will has only been flying with our airline since March, I knew he was familiar with the special nuances of flying when a family member was dealing with a medical issue. I’m positive if I asked each Skytress and Skyter in the lounge if they were worried about a family member while they were out flying, not one would tell me no. Of course, I’m sure this is true for all humans. There is a saying by Regina Brett I always remind myself of when I think about how difficult life can be….especially while I am out flying. The saying goes, “If we all threw our troubles into one pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.” I know this was the case when I thought about my Mom and Will’s brother. My Mom is older and medical issues are bound to happen. Skyter Will’s brother is extremely young. He should be living a life free of medical issues. Especially a life-threatening medical issue. After Will left to catch his flight home, I sat in my red lounge chair and I prayed for my Mom and Will’s brother. I knew God was listening.

There are several people I always reach out to when I need a comforting voice and an anchor to stabilize my anxiety when my Mom is experiencing a medical situation. The first person I called while I was waiting in the lounge for updates from my sister was my Aunt Cathy. My Aunt Cathy always has the perfect words to comfort me. More importantly, she can make me laugh. Yessiree. Laughter makes everything better in my world. Laughter and love are a powerful combination. My Aunt Cathy is an expert in weaving both of these into a conversation. Not surprisingly, I hung up from my Aunt Cathy feeling extremely calm. It was a refreshing feeling.

I then called our dear family friends, Penny and Rick Clatt. Penny, Rick and their sons have been our family friends for close to 50 years. Heck. We are officially family as far as our families are concerned. This particular day Penny and Rick were driving to St. Louis to visit. They planned to have dinner at our house on Thursday. Our plans, as they say, were now fluid. Nonetheless, Penny and Rick were going to be there for my Mom and our family. Whether that was visiting my Mom in the hospital….Or visiting my Mom at home. I felt like Penny and Rick were the Calvary heading to St. Louis. Everyone knows when the Calvary shows up there is very little to worry about. So, I breathed a sigh of relief. Yessiree. Once again….Family matters when it comes to family matters.

Whenever I need a compassionate ear and extra-powerful prayers I always turn to my two best friends, Tara and Shannon. They are experts in both of these departments. The three of us have been friends….well, I choose to believe….family….for over 50 years. Are you all noticing the fifty-year trend in this blog post? Yessiree. God sends some of his best people to be part of my life. Tara and Shannon are God’s gold standard when it comes to friends. Tara and Shannon replied quickly to my text. I may have been sitting by myself in the crew lounge. However, I no longer felt alone. Tara and Shannon made sure of this. Yessiree. Once again….Family matters when it comes to family matters.

My head was still swimming with a multitude of thoughts when I stepped on the airplane to brief with my crew. Fortunately, I was flying with two special members of my airline family….Skytress Kelly and Skytress Kim. The three of us flew together when we were all based in Cincinnati. I’ll admit. I’m absolutely biased when I say we had the best Skytresses and Skyters in Cincinnati. Our Cincinnati base was the perfect-sized base. It was big enough, so, we had a wonderful assortment of trips for everyone’s flying taste. Yet, it was small enough that we got to know everyone on a more personal level. Thus, we became a “base family” within our airline family. Flying is definitely a nomadic lifestyle. So, it should come as no surprise to you all that feeling like family truly matters within an airline family. After our Skyter In -Charge’s briefing, I informed my crew there was a good possibility that I would need to get off our trip and fly home. My crew completely comprehended my situation. Heck, they all had been in my situation at some point in their career. I’ll admit. I stayed on my trip because I knew I was flying with Skytress Kelly and Skytress Kim. I knew, without a doubt, that they had my back. I’ll admit. If I hadn’t been flying with them, I’m almost positive I would have returned home after I received my sister’s voicemail earlier in the day. Throughout our trip Skytress Kelly and Skytress Kim constantly asked about my Mom. This simple gesture meant the world to me. Yessiree. Once again….Family matters when it comes to family matters.

For three days I was in constant contact with my sister, Aunt Cathy, Penny, Rick, Shannon and Tara. Their constant communication with me eased my worried mind on multiple occasions. Thankfully, on day two of my trip I was finally able to speak with my Mom in the hospital. Talk about easing my mind. Hearing my Mom’s voice reassured me that everything was going to be okay. My Mom knew she had dodged another life-threatening bullet. Yessiree. If a cat has nine lives, my Mom obviously has twelve. Thankfully, my Mom has also been blessed throughout the years with superb medical doctors and medical teams. These medical angels have always gotten her upright after a medical situation tries to take her down. My Mom was confident that she would be out of the hospital by the time I finished my trip. Thankfully, the medical staff concurred with my Mom’s medical assessment.

I arrived home after midnight. I was mentally exhausted from my trip. However, seeing my Mom sleeping in her own bed was positively heartwarming. I woke up the next morning eager to start the day. Penny and Rick Clatt headed over to our house in the early afternoon. Seeing their beautiful faces was not only the best medicine for my Mom, it was the perfect cure-all for the entire family. The laughter that filled our house for the rest of the day was heavenly. We all felt the blessings God was bestowing upon us. My sister, Patti, and her family came for dinner. The laughter around the dinner table was non-stop. I silently wished for time to stand still. I knew it wouldn’t though. So, I drank in all the conversations, stories, hearty laughter and over abundance of love that filled our house. We were one joyful and thankful family. We all knew the only thing that mattered that evening was family. No doubt about it, my sweet friends,….Family matters.

Something crazy was in the air for July. Yessiree. I was given an Athens trip on my schedule. Anyone who knows me, knows I am very selective with my international flying. I’ll definitely fly to Canada. Heck, I don’t mind if scheduling throws in a Costa Rica trip here and there. I’ll even fly to some of the islands if I have too. But, I had to give a hard pass on working a trip to Athens. So, I put Athens on the swap board to drop. Fortunately for me, some very excited Skytress or Skyter picked it up. I learned as the month went on many of my Skytress and Skyter friends that avoid flying international trips, were given international trips on their schedules. We all dropped them. When you drop a trip, you lose the flight time on your schedule…..and ultimately the money for the lost flight hours. In my case, I knew I had to pick up a trip to compensate for the lost hours and money. I contemplated picking up an Anchorage or Juneau trip. Unfortunately, these trips didn’t quite fit my schedule. Luckily, there was a Skytress who wanted to drop her Burlington, Vermont trip. Her trip fit my schedule quite nicely. I was extremely excited to go to Burlington. Just as excited as I would be going to Anchorage or Juneau. I know this sounds odd. But, it isn’t. Burlington is a much coveted trip at our airline. I bet you all didn’t know this little quirky airline tidbit. Yessiree. Burlington is as sweet as the maple syrup that comes from Vermont. I had a grand time bouncing all around this quaint city. I’ll admit. I had a pep in my step all day. I could blame it on the maple latte I drank early in the day. But, I won’t. I would never lay blame to something so delicious.

Years ago a new city code appeared in our monthly trip bid packet. BTV…Burlington, Vermont. I remember thinking at the time this could be a great layover or it could be a bust. Unfortunately, I didn’t remember that my best friend Tara had a layover there when she was a Skytress with United. She LOVED Burlington. It was the first time she had a pumpkin latte. Most people had never drank, let alone heard of a pumpkin lattes back then. Pumpkin lattes and maple lattes…the people of Burlington are geniuses when it comes to their hot beverages. Sadly, I wasn’t a genius back then. I didn’t bid to fly to BTV. The Skytresses and Skyters that did fly to Burlington the first month we had the layover were in awe of the city. Word got out quickly that Burlington was a spectacular layover. Senior Skytresses and Skyters started bidding every Burlington layover that popped up in the bid packet. I was too junior by many years to hold the trip. Graciously, the senior Skytresses and Skyters allowed me to fly to Flint, Michigan, instead. Gee, thanks!

I flew my Burlington trip the day after I had my annual Skytress training in Atlanta. Hours after my training, I had dinner with my other best friend Shannon and her husband Jay. I like to think of these two good fortunes as my rewards for passing my Skytress training. The last time I saw Shannon and Jay was right before Covid closed down the world in March of 2020. We did joke after dinner that we hoped another world pandemic wouldn’t occur after this visit, too. I’ll admit. I was giddy that I was able to visit with Shannon and Jay one day and then fly to Burlington the next day for a 30- hour layover. I felt like I was on a mini vacation. Funny, the Skytresses on my crew had the same mindset that our Burlington layover was a mini-vacation, too. Yessiree. It would have been a perfect mini vacation if we didn’t have to work several flights before and after our layover. Oh, the silly things we have to endure as Skytresses!

We landed in Burlington at 10pm. I was extremely excited to get up early the next morning to explore the city. I was so excited I made sure I ironed my outfit for the next day before I went to bed. And I hate to iron! I was elated when I woke up. My plan was to spend the day exploring Burlington until it was time to meet up with my crew for an early dinner. The weather could not have been more pleasant. It was overcast and in the 70’s. It was a pleasant reprieve from the oppressive heat the rest of the country was experiencing. Yessiree. Burlington was definitely living up to it’s welcoming reputation. I knew I was going to thoroughly enjoy the city’s hospitality.

My heart smiled when I turned on to the main drag of the Church Street Marketplace in downtown Burlington. Interesting shops lined each side of the street. I walked by several shops simply because I was fascinated by everything I was observing. I was mysteriously pulled into my first store. This magical force always appears when I spy a cooking shop. Oh, boy! This shop was a kitchenware shop on steroids. There was a little bit of everything inside. Including Christmas ornaments. Eureka! And Alleluia! I was thrilled my first purchase in Burlington was a Christmas ornament. I celebrated my happy victory with a hot cup of maple latte from a little French bistro kiosk. The maple latte was life changing for me. Yessiree. My best friend Tara will always remember that she enjoyed her first ever pumpkin latte in Burlington. Well, my sweet readers, I will always remember my first cup of hot maple latte in Burlington. It was scrumptious. I plan on having this delectable drink often in the winter…spring ….summer… and fall. Yessiree. Cheers to me and my maple latte!

I spent my morning oohing and ahhing at all the beautiful items I spied as I weaved in and out of each shop. Funny, everything seemed more dazzling in Burlington. Curiosity took me down a side street. I was happily rewarded for following my instinct. I walked into a store called Simon Pearce. It’s a glassware and pottery shop. I’ll admit. I was convinced nothing could compare to my love of Waterford Crystal. That was until I walked into Simon Pearce. The crystal items inside glistened. They were simple in their design compared to Waterford Crystal. Nonetheless, they were exquisite. I learned the man behind the store, Simon Pearce, is originally from Ireland. This explained everything for me. The Irish sure know how to make exceptional glass items. I took numerous photos of items displayed in the store. My heart raced at the thought of being able one day to buy several lovely items for my cocktail napkin home….or any home I’m living in.

I ran into one of the Skytresses on my crew several times during the day. She told me about the woman selling Moussaka at the outdoor market. She said it was incredibly delicious. I’ve never eaten Moussaka. Heck, I had no idea what Moussaka was until my Skytress friend showed me the Greek meat and potato dish inside her meal container. I decided to be adventurous and get some. But, before I got my Moussaka, I stopped at a very talented artisan’s booth. Olivia Stone is a jewelry designer. I adored each piece of botanical jewelry she had displayed. It was hard to decide which earrings I was going to purchase. Ultimately, I bought three pairs of earrings. Yessiree. If there is one thing I have learned in all my years flying….if you see it and it calls to you….buy it. If you don’t, you will be forever thinking about it. Believe me. There are a pair of green cowboy boots and an exotic wood pepper mill that I still dream about. Sadly, I always will. Yessiree. Lesson learned.

Later in the afternoon I walked several miles along Lake Champlain. I chastised myself for not going down to the lake earlier to take a boat ride. But, it’s definitely on my to-do list for next time. My heart was so happy to see all the boats bobbing along the water. I was inquisitive to know where they were heading or where they had been. I’ll admit. If I had planned my day a wee bit better I would have walked along the lake before I explored downtown Burlington. The walk back up the hill to the main square was heart pumping. My reward for making it to the top of the hill was a quick stop into the Lake Champlain Chocolates shop for a piece…actually three pieces…of Burlington’s famous handcrafted premium chocolates. Each piece was delectable. They were almost as wonderful as the maple latte. Almost.

My crew and I met to go to dinner. Deciding where to eat was difficult. Mostly because the spectacular weather conditions brought people out in droves. Getting a table in a restaurant was not an easy feat. The wait times to be seated were impinging upon our plan to get to bed early for our early pickup in the morning. We ultimately decide on a pizza place because there wasn’t a wait time to be seated. This place was a hidden gem. The pizza was marvelous. We sat next to an open window that made us feel like we were actually eating outside. It was the perfect place to cap off a splendid layover. We filled our bellies and then we took a scenic walk back to the hotel. I’ll admit. I slept hard. But, I woke up easily knowing the day ahead was an undemanding one.

As we drove to the airport, the Skytresses on my crew were pointing out places they had gone to the day before. I was stunned I completely missed so many interesting shops. I made a mental note of each place I missed visiting on this layover. Heck, even though I walked by Ben and Jerry’s ice cream shop numerous times, I never went inside. If you didn’t know, Ben and Jerry’s originated in Burlington. I’m convinced Ben and Jerry’s will taste even better when you eat it in Burlington. Yessiree. I know I will definitely go back to Burlington if the scheduling gods allow it to happen. I don’t mind if it’s in the dead of winter, either. I know there are maple lattes to keep me warm. If I can’t find it in a shop, I’ll make it in my hotel room. Thankfully, Vermont maple syrup is readily available in Burlington. But, just in case, I’ll bring my bottle of maple syrup I bought this trip. Yessiree. You guessed it. I bought it as I was happily bouncing around Burlington.

It finally happened my sweet friends. I had a passenger board our airplane in Lexington who told us he personally knew our airline CEO. Now a passenger telling a Skytress or Skyter they know our airline CEO is something we hear ad nauseum. I’ll admit. Not once have I believed a passenger when they told me they personally knew our CEO. No siree. This information is usually revealed by a passenger who is angry, arrogant, or just a plain goofball. So, I take their comment with a grain of salt. However, this time I absolutely believed the passenger. Especially because he was a priest. A priest that showed us pictures of he and our CEO meeting with Pope Francis. Guess Father Jim knows Skytresses and Skyters can be skeptical about things. A picture can say a thousand words. It can also make the most skeptical Skytress or Skyter a believer. I quickly learned Father Jim is one of our most loyal passengers. We couldn’t be more blessed to have him fly with us. Having Father Jim on my flight was a blessing from God. Yessiree. I knew it the minute he stepped on our airplane, handed us a gift card and asked to take a selfie with us.

Father Jim was very unassuming when he boarded the plane. Well, unassuming that he was actually a priest. Father Jim wasn’t wearing his white clerical collar when he boarded the airplane. No siree. He wore a simple black hoodie. His vibrant blue and black glasses were exceptionally hip. His energy was exhilarating. I unequivocally knew the Holy Spirit flowed through every cell of Father Jim’s body. And this was before Father Jim revealed to us that he was a priest. As soon as Father Jim boarded our plane he asked my Skytress In-Charge and I to pick a card. He has holding five Starbucks cards in his hand. He had a gift card for each Skytress on the crew and our two pilots. If you are a frequent reader of, “The Rerouted Skytress”, you know how Skytresses and Skyters love to receive gifts from our passengers. Starbucks cards and candy are absolutely at the top of our “favorites” lists. After Father Jim handed us the gift cards, he asked us to stand next to him so he could take a selfie. My Skytress In-Charge then questioned Father Jim about him knowing our CEO. She was quite skeptical when he mentioned he was having dinner with our CEO and other executives at our airline. I’ll admit. I was more curious than skeptical. Father Jim sensed he had one, possibly two, Doubting Thomas’s on his hand. So he scrolled through his phone to show us several pictures of himself and our CEO. There was Father Jim in his black priest attire with our CEO standing before Pope Francis. I immediately recalled seeing the story on our airline website about our CEO meeting with Pope Francis. More importantly, I recalled seeing Father Jim’s picture in the article. I was truly fascinated by Father Jim. I was curious how this exuberant priest from Lexington was present when our CEO met Pope Francis. So, I did what everyone does. I googled Father Jim. I quickly learned Father Jim is a Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky. He is one of a thousand priests worldwide,…one of a hundred in the United States, ….commissioned by Pope Francis to be one of his Papal Missionaries of Mercy. In essence, Father Jim travels around the world preaching the Gospel and teaching about Jesus Christ through his life experiences and stories. He has been ordained by Pope Francis to conduct random acts of kindness to spread God’s word. I also learned Father Jim loves to take selfies. Oh boy does he!

My Skytress In-Charge asked me if I wanted to work first class for her. I knew she wasn’t a fan of flying In-Charge. Since I was the newest member of Father Jim’s fan club I wholeheartedly agreed to work first class. When I offered the snack basket to Father Jim, I smiled and confessed to him I had googled him before we took off. I even blurted out I was going to purchase his books I saw he had written. He smiled. I admitted to Father Jim I knew I was supposed to meet him that day. I’ve come to learn Father Jim hears this statement daily from many people he meets. Interestingly, Father Jim flipped the script on me. He wanted to know more about me. He asked me how long I had been a Skytress. I told him I had just started my 33rd year. I laughed when I told him my original plan was to be a Skytress for a year. We chit chatted about where I lived. Father Jim was aware most of us do not live in our base city. Then he asked me if he could take a selfie with him after the flight. Without hesitation, I said yes.

When Father Jim deplaned, we stepped into the jetway and he snapped a selfie with me. He told me he was going to tell our CEO about me later that day. Since I had become a huge Father Jim fan, I saw that he had a twitter account. I clicked on it. There was the picture of myself and my Skytress In-Charge huddled next to Father Jim holding up our Starbucks card. My Skytress In-Charge and I giggled when I showed it to her. I then noticed Father Jim had a Facebook account. So, of course, I clicked on it. Father Jim had posted our picture on it, too. Later when my crew and I were waiting for our airplane to Tallahassee to arrive, I commented on Father Jim’s Facebook post. Minutes later Father Jim responded. He responded with a screenshot of a text he received from our CEO. Our CEO had texted Father Jim thanking him for telling him about me. Our CEO texted he would be reaching out to me. I was floored. And humbled. Two days later my supervisor called me. He said I received a complimentary letter that was addressed to our airline CEO and other executives. All the executives had responded to the letter. I was gobsmacked.

I was completely touched by Father Jim’s random acts of kindness. Receiving the Starbucks gift card was lovely. Receiving the complimentary letter was indescribable. Well, actually it was a godsend. I’ll admit. Prior to my encounter with Father Jim I had been feeling quite melancholy. I couldn’t shake the feeling no matter how hard I tried. I didn’t fly the week of the anniversary of Ron’s passing and birthday. I always choose not to fly this week; simply because it is too hard. Instead, I prefer to be at home doing happy things to remember and honor Ron. Yessiree. I had a beautiful week doing special things to honor Ron. When it was time to go back to work, my heart just wasn’t in it. I’ll admit. I did a lot of praying on my jumpseat hoping I would get out of the funk I was in. I, also, deeply contemplated quitting ….well, at my seniority it would be considered retiring…. and looking for another career. A career that would once again fill my heart with joy. Of course, God was listening to my prayers. So, he sent selfie enthusiast Father Jim my way.

Father Jim definitely brought the much prayed about joy back into my life. Amazingly, the more I learned and read about Father Jim, the more my soul filled with joy. Father Jim is quite the dichotomy. Yes. He is a priest. But, he is human. He is not perfect. Nor professes to be. He uses himself as the example to teach lessons. He admits to the times he is ……in his words… a jerk….A sinner….A lost soul. More importantly, he talks about his faith. He talks about God always placing him in the right spot. Some would say, these moments were unexplained miracles. Father Jim would say it was God being God. Well, let me tell you, God was being God when Father Jim walked on to my airplane. I’ve read both of Father Jim’s books. I watched several YouTube posts of Father Jim’s “60 minutes with Jesus”. I laughed and cried. Father Jim’s stories reinforced my belief in God’s miracles. Father Jim is a faithful shepherd taking care of his flock. He takes care of his flock through preaching the Gospel, through stories, through random acts of kindness….and yes, through his numerous selfies. My sweet readers, I pray one day you too are blessed to meet the divine Father Jim. I know he will make you smile a Heavenly smile. Then he will most assuredly take a selfie. It will be glorious!