What A Trip It Has Been

I was away for seven days in Florida and I think I have seven stories.  I'll start with the airplane story.  You all know I get travel anxiety.  People with anxiety have a fear of losing control in public.  One of my fears is that I will start to laugh (get hysterical) and not be able to stop.  It's silly, I know, but anxiety is not rational.  I got my ticket late and had no choice but to take a window seat in the back of the plane.  Not the best for someone with anxiety.  In the final minutes of boarding a huge black man sat down in front of me.  He literally spilled over into my lap. The man who had the seat next to him refused to sit there.  The big man had a brief conversation with the Flight Attendant who apologized because she could not get him 2 seats together.  He apparently had ticketed two seats but the airlines messed up (big surprise there).  The Flight Attendant was saying to him, "I'm sorry, but I could not get you another seat, but I have someone who volunteered to sit next to you."  The Flight Attendant was an attractive women of medium height and weight.  As she stepped aside, you could see behind her stood a 5 foot, little old white lady with even whiter hair.  The little lady said, "Oh, I will sit next to him."  And there it was. . . , the one hysterical thing that I thought would be the end of me.  To complete the picture, I must tell you, the biggest thing on the man in front of me was his smile.  His white teeth matched perfectly with the little lady's white hair.  They sat together in perfect harmony for the entire flight; big and small, black and white, young and old.  I noticed that people knew him, talked to him about his football career and that he wore a "Lion of Judah" gold necklace.  Eight days later as my husband was flipping channels I yelled excitedly, "There is the man who sat in my lap on the plane!"  This man, a retired football player, was speaking about his Christian faith, smiling with those pearly white teeth.  This time when I saw him, I laughed hysterically, but without fear!