Birds cannot fly with one wing, but give a Drake one arm, and she can soar. Back home again in Indiana with my sister June and her family is a destination worth the effort.
After the surgery on my thumb, I was uneasy about the upcoming trip. With a wheelchair waiting for me at check in, I began a rather laid back adventure filled with kind people. After hugging the sweet man who delivered me at my gate after patiently waiting for me as they checked my cast for drugs and weapons, I was given the chance to get onto the plane first. I sat with my arm in the air in my aisle seat seeming to wave at every passenger who entered. I was in turn greeted with kind words as people passed by.
After take off, I decided to tackle the sandwich I picked up in the airport. How one little box can be so cantankerous is beyond me. I looked at the box. It looked at me. I looked at my neighbor in the seat next to me. She looked at me. After helping me gain a sturdy grasp on the sandwich and seeing that I had accomplished eating it, this woman and I became fast friends. She is a Methodist minister who was at a conference in Portland. Of course, one thing lead to another down to the fine point that she went to college at Otterbein. Having taken a course in Astronomy from my Uncle Phil Barnhart, she gave up her dream of becoming an archaeologist to become a minister.
The next leg of the trip was with a young man who had been in Portland to interview for jobs. He was heading home to tell his mother who had just had her two daughters move to other states that he, too, was moving. We talked of ways he could handle the conversation and again became friends in the meantime.
Every time I fly, I find new ways to connect to people. This time I discovered great kindness. It is truly a small world. A world I get to love a little more each day.
I will be in Darke County for a short time this week. My friend Carol DeMaio has set up a time for me to meet up with old friends and those of you who visit me weekly on Neff Road. I will be at the Coffee Pot in Greenville from 10-1 this coming Friday. Please stop by. I would love to see you.
