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Honoring the Cycles of Life
I had an experience in September while flying from Seattle to Baltimore that touched me deeply, and I want to share it with you.
My flight was delayed in Seattle and then there was a delay in getting off the plane to switch flights in Kansas City. Both delays were because we were transporting a flag draped coffin with a fallen soldier.
In Seattle, there were about six sailors who surrounded and carried the coffin to the plane. It was a cloudy day and when the soldier was moved, the sun burst through the clouds and streaks of sunshine streamed down onto the soldier. I heard gasps from the people around me.
When we arrived in Kansas City, there were four family members waiting for the fallen soldier and because I had listened to my intuition and chosen a seat closer to the back of the plane and on the right side, instead of the left, which is my preference, I had a direct view of this scene through my window.
I saw a mother, father, brother and sister waiting. The brother and sister looked high school age so this had to be the oldest child. Southwest Airlines announced that we were going to wait to deboard the plane until the soldier was moved to the hearse. They asked us to share in a moment of silence. I didn’t even hear kids or babies stirring during that moment.
