Last night, my husband
and I were at the airport sending our daughter back to college. After seeing her get through security safely, I wiped away the silent tears and regained my “let’s keep it together” composure. In that moment, I began to look around and
observe. Yes, I admit it, I am a people watcher! I was suddenly aware of all the people around me, I wondered, where were all these people going? Where are they coming from? Each person had a unique purpose for being in the airport that night… all of them had a distinct story.
We live in San Diego County… a hub for the military. Last night, there were various branches of the service represented at Lindberg Field. As we walked, we passed by a group of new recruits, waiting, standing at attention. Paper work tucked tightly under their arms, heads held high, shoulders firmly back, eyes straight ahead. I leaned over to my husband, (a former Marine), and asked him, “They know that they can breathe, right?”
Soon, the bus from MCRD arrived, there was no problem in hearing the loud, firm voice of the Drill Sergeant above the street traffic, as he gave the command to board the bus… the loud echo of “Yes, Sir”, resounded through the air, it made me smile. I whispered to myself, “I love it!”
As we continued our trek through the crowd, I noticed another group standing outside the USO; Marines dressed in their class C uniforms and a couple of sailors in their Summer Whites. These guys were relaxed, casually talking and laughing with one another. Why were they here? Where were they going?
Inside the airport, I saw many soldiers in their fatigues (camouflage); Navy, Army and Marine, duffels in tow, ready to board planes that would take them…. somewhere? They were there following orders, orders sending them into battle or maybe transferring them to another post, station, and base or maybe even home. They had a defined destination.
Assembled among all the military personnel was a variety of other people: vacationing families, college students, business people… all either coming or going. I saw a mother, traveling with her very active toddler, and I pondered how she would manage during her flight? I thought... I hope she has understanding passengers sitting beside her.
As we began to exit the airport, my eyes were drawn toward one person, a young man, a double amputee. I
looked up at my husband; it was obvious his compassion was captured as well; we gradually moved toward him. He was struggling walking on his artificial legs. My husband started the conversation, by asking him how long he had his artificial limbs. He replied, “Almost a year.” Then we asked the heartfelt question, “How are you doing?” His response was “not very well”. He explained that one of the legs was broken and it was causing him to walk unbalanced and somewhat crooked. At that point, we stopped… I could tell that my husband wanted to pick him up, carry him and the load he carried … the external load of his backpack and the internal burden of pain and loss. My heart ached; inside I knew that this young warrior had sacrificed a great deal, not just the loss of his legs, but his hopes, his dreams, his expectations. We talked briefly for another moment, I asked him if I could pray for him, He said, “yes”. So, there amongst the throng, I prayed. My husband gave him a business card, and said, "call if you need anything". Then we parted ways, he courageously continued on… My heart will be forever pierced by this unexpected encounter.
You never know what’s going to happen when you step out on to the pathway of life. You don’t know who you may meet. Characters are intricately placed into our life
story. This young man crossed my path in a busy airport, I could have walked right on by, ignoring the encounter. But instead, I chose to take a slight detour. By doing so, my soul was stirred, my character was challenged.
If we will yield, take a moment to look beyond ourselves, who knows who we will meet….
Do you have any mysterious encounters?