On Tuesday I had two flights, the second not landing until about 11pm.

That late night flight began in Atlanta (no surprise to those who live in the south). While standing in line, I met this delightful mom and her 5-month old baby. The baby was smiling and looking at everything. The mom (looking a bit like a pack mule) was tired but hanging in there. I stifled a giggle when she said in almost a whisper, “we probably shouldn’t have waited until I was almost 40 to start our family.” Poor gal – and the fun is just beginning for that household.

As I made my way to my aisle seat near the back of the plane, a little hand reached out and grabbed the handle of my bag. This 2-year old was wrestling her mom and looked like she was winning.

A couple came down the aisle a few minutes after I had sat down, they took the two aisle seats just in front of me. Mom was pregnant (probably less than 7 months along) and they had 18 month old twins with them.

As soon as they sat down, the passing of things and babies across the aisle started. Neither child was sleepy or happy with what they had or where they were. I am sure Mom and Dad were pleased that the flight was going to last less than an hour.

As we took off, the “singing” started. The 5-month old begin with that song of old “I am unhappy (or in pain) and you cannot sooth me.”

That must have been what inspired the 2-year old to join in with her head banging with mom. Mom would move her head to the left and the baby would swing to that side landing a loud “thump” on mom’s forehead. It was painful to hear and watch!

The twins were not “singing” but running their parents through an upper body workout. Once a twin had been secured in one parent’s arms, they immediately reached to be held by the other parent. Back and forth and forth and back.

About 10 minutes into the flight the kids calmed down. It was then that I saw twin 1 drop their pacifier onto the floor. (Unlike many parents, this couple had not secured pacifier to child via a clip and rope. Rookie mistake.) Dad picked up the pacifier, asked mom if she had a wipe already out of the bag, wiped off said pacifier, put it into his mouth and then popped it back into twin 1’s mouth.

Dad seemed to be in charge of dropped pacifiers. Twin 2 joined the game and pacifier after pacifier flew to the floor. Dad stayed calm (Mom not so much) as he retrieved pacifiers and returned them to the twins.

I then witnessed the shift. Dad abandoned the wipe and simply took pacifier from floor to his mouth to the twin’s mouth.

In this airplane where just a few months ago, we were all masked, sanitized and sterilized, Dad had changed the game. He had decided that his body, bigger than all others in his family, would take the risk. Pregnant Mom and beautiful little ones were going to be as protected as he could make them.

Sound familiar?

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Would you sit with me for a while? Let’s think who might need for us to leave behind our selfish concerns and help them. Just a thought.

Love,

Jill (just one of God’s kids)