The Rerouted Skytress

I am convinced there is more intense praying at the Known Crew Member security line than there is at some churches on Sunday. No one wants to be the random selectee that has to go through the regular security line. Sadly, our faith is not so strong while we are in these lines. We are all convinced we are going to be the TSA’s random person. When we make it through the check point there is major rejoicing. If we don’t make it through, we question the entire KCM-TSA system. Yessiree. Our faith is challenged. Faith, however, should be constant. Unfortunately, many people’s faith is like flying. It’s all over the place.

This is Holy Week. It’s the perfect week to write about faith and God’s presence. Yessiree. My faith is unyielding. However, I am not complacent with my faith. I work on my faith daily. Especially when I am flying. Heck. Some days I encounter on average 600 people just on my flights. I’ll admit. Some passengers elicit more prayers to God than others. Thankfully, I witness God’s abundant love daily while I’m out flying, too. God is a loyal passenger on our airline. Yes. I know God is a loyal passenger on all airlines. I believe he prefers our airline the most, though. After all, we do go above and beyond as we….”keep climbing”.

I remember one particular flight I was glad God was flying with me. It was a mid-morning flight. I had only served two rows when my beverage cart drawers became stuck. In the process of trying to get the drawers unstuck, a can of club soda fell out, hit the floor and started spraying all over the place. The young girls on my left giggled. The gentleman on my right did not. He was getting the brunt of the spray. I tried to grab the club soda can so the spray wouldn’t hit the gentleman’s computer. In his frustration, the gentleman kept kicking the can to get it away from him. Unfortunately, it only caused the soda to spray even more. His face was turning a deep shade of red. He was beyond angry with me. I had the awful feeling this gentleman thought I dropped the can on purpose. He lashed out at me with angry words. I apologized profusely. I used every cocktail napkin I had on my cart to wipe up the soda spray. The gentleman was furious the club soda had sprayed on his blazer. He told me he only brought one blazer on his trip and he had to wear it for three days. I apologized once more and told the gentleman I would clean his blazer up in the galley. When I went up front, I hung the gentleman’s blazer near the Skytress jumpseat so the air vent would dry it faster. There was no need for me to clean the jacket. After all, we use club soda to clean up any thing that spills on fabric in the first place. I thought it was best not to mention this to the gentleman, though. I knew he wasn’t going to be receptive to anything I had to say at that moment. I then went back into the cabin and gave the gentleman extra skymiles for his inconvenience. He was still very displeased with me. Nothing I said to the gentleman seemed to help the situation. Reluctantly, I knew I had to move on with my beverage service. I silently asked God to bring this man peace, for I could not. I turned to the young girls on my left and apologized to them for the club soda shower. The young girl on the aisle smiled and said, “Don’t worry about it. Accidents happen”. I said a silent prayer of thanks to God. The young girl’s kind comments made me feel so much better. The young girl then said she liked my bracelet. I thanked her. I told her another Skytress had given it to me. I told her my bracelet had been blessed by the Pope. I smiled and told her I think of God whenever I look at it. I could tell the gentleman was listening to my conversation with the young girl. I saw him looking at my bracelet as I poured the young girl’s drink. Something shifted in his demeanor. I know at that moment God was speaking to this man’s heart. As I released my cart brake the gentleman turned to me and apologized for his anger. I could see the man was now at peace. As I pushed my beverage cart to the next row, I distinctly remember thinking what we say at Mass. “Peace be with you. And with your spirit”. Thankfully, God heard my prays and granted peace both to the gentleman and to me.

I truly felt God’s presence one morning when we were flying out of West Palm Beach. A hurricane had changed its routing and was now heading towards the area. People were heeding the call and were evacuating en mass. That morning we had a high number of elderly passengers on our flight. Most were traveling on their own to meet up with family in other states. I knew under different circumstances they wouldn’t have been traveling alone. The weather had dictated that they had to now. The first passenger to board the airplane was a lovely elderly woman. I had the pleasure to assist her to her seat. The woman gently held on to my arm to steady herself as we walked down the aisle. I could tell she was nervous about traveling on her own. So, I took time to talk with her. I reassured her we would take great care of her and get her safely to her family. I wished I could have sat with this woman the entire flight to ease her mind. A few minutes later a gentleman walked down the aisle assisting his elderly mother. They were sitting in the same row with the woman I had been talking too. The elderly woman struggled to move in her seat so the gentleman and his mother could sit down. The gentleman’s face showed complete compassion for the elderly woman. He gently helped the woman unbuckle her seatbelt and helped her stand up. He then helped his mother sit down in the row. He continued to stand in the row as he helped the elderly woman settle back in her seat. He carefully helped her re-buckle her seatbelt. The elderly woman thanked the gentleman for helping her with her seatbelt. She sheepishly told the gentleman she didn’t normally fly on her own. The gentleman turned to her and smiled. He told her it was a blessing from God that he and his mother got seats on this flight when a hurricane was coming….and it was another blessing from God that he and his mother would be able to fly to Atlanta with her as their seat mate. My heart swelled as I watched this gentleman dote on his mother and the sweet lady the entire flight. He made both women feel extra-special. I knew, without a doubt, God walked with this gentleman every day. Better yet, I knew this gentleman was completely aware that God walked with him everyday, too.

God was definitely walking with me and my crew one day while we were walking down the concourse in Atlanta. A young man walked up to us and asked us where the USO was in the airport. I started to give the young man directions. However, something in my heart told me I had plenty of time between flights and I should walk him to the train and show him instead. So, I did. On our way to the train I asked the young man where he was from. He told me, Butte, Montana. I couldn’t believe it. Of all the people he walked up to in the airport, he walked up to the one Skytress that was from Butte, Montana. When I told the young man I was from Butte, he laughed. I laughed, too. At that moment I completely understood why God had spoken to me to walk with this young man to the USO. The young man told me he was heading off to basic training. He told me his mom and girlfriend cried at the Butte airport before he boarded his flight. They were heartbroken that he was leaving home. He said they called him when he landed in Salt Lake City. They had called him again when he landed in Atlanta. They were worried he would get lost in the Atlanta airport because it was so big. He told them not to worry. He told them he would ask someone for help if he needed it. I was certain the young man’s mom and girlfriend were praying for God to watch over him from the moment he got on the airplane in Butte. God definitely heard their prayers. Little did they know God would choose a Skytress from Butte to watch over him on the first day he left home. Yessiree. It was truly a God wink for us all!

Encounters like these at the airport only strengthen my faith and love for God. My faith is strengthened even more by my fellow Skytresses and Skyters. I see how God touches their lives on a daily basis. I see them pray with the airport chaplain early on Sunday mornings when he comes to the crew lounge. I see them studying their Bibles in the hotel lobbies before we leave for the airport. I see them in the crew lounge silently praying before they start to eat. My faith is strengthened whenever I see a crew member wearing their cross necklace. You see, there was a time when we were not allowed to wear any necklaces with our current uniform. Not even a cross necklace. Not surprisingly, we wore our cross necklaces in solidarity and in defiance of the uniform policy. Our faith was unyielding. Ultimately, the uniform policy was forced to yield to God. “We know that all things work for good for those who love God” Romans 8:28

These days I am expanding my faith in God and my Catholic religion by following the catechism in a year program. I haven’t missed a day. Yessiree. God is with me 24/7. My friend Brad suggested a Bible app for me, too. It has a verse of the day and a guided prayer section. I am so grateful Brad told me about this app. It, too, has strengthened my faith. When I had my long layover in Huntsville Brad and I talked for hours on the phone about God. As you can see, God doesn’t just fly on our airline…he comes on our layovers, too. He truly is the ultimate traveling companion. Yessiree. God goes wherever I go.

Even though God loves our airline,…I confess,….you don’t need to fly our airline to have him in your life. No siree. God doesn’t bring us all to him in the same way. Just as there are numerous ways to get from my house to the airport, there are numerous ways God brings us to know him. Of course, when you know God,…it’s Heavenly! I hope this Holy Week you feel God’s love for you. I, also, pray you rejoice this Easter Sunday like you successfully made it through the Known Crew Member security line….for Jesus has risen. Happy Easter, my sweet friends. God bless you all.