Sarah

(The view from my bedroom at the hotel.)

I’m currently sitting in a hotel room in Provo, Utah typing this.

Typically when flying on an airplane, my routine is to board as late as possible, shuffle to my assigned seat, stuff everything under the seats,  (I can’t reach anything in the overhead bins) and then read a book or magazine.  Once we’re up in the air, I will often pull out noise cancelling head phones and watch a movie.   

Often this ritual takes place without much more than a cursory greeting, or just the polite words necessary to find our assigned places.  It’s not that I mind talking to people.  It just seems that in our society most people today would prefer to keep to themselves and so I have learned to be prepared.

Thursday’s plane ride was different.

I boarded the plane just as normal waiting to the final boarding call, 2^nd to last to board.  I approached my seat, and the lady next to my assigned window seat stepped out of her seat to allow me into mine.  But somewhere between the requisite polite talk and me stuffing my overfilled backpack under the seat in front of mine, I was captivated by a woman who loved her children, was anxious to see her father and sisters, had a loving, incredibly supportive husband, and was extremely nervous about the flight.

Although I had my own anxieties about my trip, they were swept away by the joy she brought to the flight.  Within the 2 hours and 55 minutes we were on the flight, we talked and laughed together like we had been friends for the eternities. 

I watched her from a distance at the airport as she had the long-awaited reunion with her family, and the next day I found myself thinking about her.  And, the next day, when I knew that she’d be facing some challenges, I could not stop thinking about her.  I prayed for her non-stop in my heart.   

I tell you that not because I am a hero for praying for her, but because she was an angel to me.  It kept my mind from focusing on things that were hard for me, and that were creating anxieties for me. 

As I listened to Sarah talk on the plane, she spoke of choices she had made over the years, things she does with her family, things she does for her husband, what she does at work, and in life.  And, in those messages, I heard a woman of great strength and character, a woman who has great courage and is valiant.  I hope Sarah knows who she is ... who she really is.  I hope she knows how great she really is!