Now THAT'S a vacation- part 3

Ok, so the first two parts document what I would honestly call the trip from hell. But, as is my personality, I always try to see the light whenever possible. So, I wanted to end this story with all the beauty I noticed during the trip.

First and foremost, if you think humanity amongst strangers is gone, you are DEAD WRONG. Sure there were a large number of people who gawked at me as I tried to maneuver my children and belongings around. But, more importantly, there were those special people who stepped up and assisted.

I mentioned those lovely ladies that helped when I was deplaning in Detroit in part 1. There were daddies that were eager to carry a stroller or a child (um, no!) and my carry on whenever possible. One time a guy offered to carry Bug (he noticed she couldn't walk on her own) and I asked if it would be ok for him to carry the carry on instead. He understood, but for good measure he pulled out his wallet and showed me his "credentials." He had two beautiful 6 month old sons waiting for him at home that he was eager to hug and kiss.

There were people who offered to help at the security check points (rarely was it an employee, but oh well).

My dads neighbor lady, Diane, came over the morning after we got back from the hospital to check on Bug. She didn't know she was out of the hospital yet. When I answered the door, she was so happy to see my face. I had only met the lady once. She met Bug and fell head over heels in love with her instantly (as so many do). She said that she was so worried about Bug and was praying for her to heal quickly. I told her she was home and she got tears in her eyes and praised God right there. She then went on to tell me a lovely story about her previous life living in the countryside. She explained that while there she learned how to crochet and because she couldn't take her mind off Bug the whole time we were in the hospital, she decided to crochet a blanket for her. She was worried we wouldn't like the colors or the quality. Let me tell you, it was done beautifully. Sure, the colors aren't ones I personally would have picked out, but WHO CARES? From her heart this lady made Bug a full size blanket by hand. That means so much us...to me, it is one of the most beautiful blankets we own. I thanked her over and over again and she was so humble. She "threw" it together in a day...a FULL SIZE blanket...in a day! Wow! I can't knit or crochet, so that seems impossible, but apparently it isn't. Oh, and I have to say that when Bug saw it, she said, "It's BEAUTIFUL!" That's my girl!!!

The one person who really stood out to me the most, however, was the last pilot of our trip. He saw me standing right outside the plane balancing Bug on my leg and trying to fold down the stroller. He came out (while the flight attendant just stood there watching) and asked how he could help. He held Bugs hands while I folded down the stroller. He then moved it and the walker to the proper location. He asked if he could carry Bug on the plane and since I knew he would be flying our plane, I figured he wouldn't go far! Bug instantly warmed to him. She wrapped her tiny little arms around his neck and held on as he carried her back to our seats. He gently buckled her in and helped me get the bag under the seat. He asked if there was anything else he could do (anything else? seriously?). My dumb response..."just get us home safe, please!" He said he would do what he could.

When we finally landed in our home airport we waited for what seemed like forever for the "gosh I just don't know what they call that thingy...walkway?" to get to the plane so we could deplane. It didn't arrive, so they brought stairs instead. As I approached the front of the plane with Princess attached to my front and Bug holding both my hands, trying to walk down the aisle...I noticed the stairs and wondered how I would get the two kids down and the carry on. Without hesitation, the pilot said, "I was waiting for you. I want to assist you again." He carried Bug and the carry on down the stairs. He then carried the stroller and Bug into the airport. I carried the walker and the baby. He escorted us into the airport, up the stairs. He gently, lovingly sat Bug down in the chair while he opened the stroller and moved her into it. He then loaded on the walker and the carry on and sent us on our way down the hall to meet up with DADDY!

Now that, my friends, is humanity. I am thinking that at the end of the day, he was tired. He doesn't get paid to assist goofballs like myself who decide to travel with two little ones alone. But, he did it anyway and it made my whole vacation worthwhile...to see the goodness and beauty in people was refreshing. It restored my faith in mankind.