{"id":6224,"date":"2025-12-03T16:00:37","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T16:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/storieshub.xyz\/?p=6224"},"modified":"2025-12-03T16:03:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T16:03:55","slug":"to-the-kind-strangers-on-my-flight-who-lifted-my-burden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/storieshub.xyz\/?p=6224","title":{"rendered":"To The Kind Strangers On My Flight Who Lifted My Burden"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201c\u2018We\u2019re boarding now! See you in Boston!\u2019 I excitedly texted my mom as I folded up my double umbrella stroller, handing it over to the workers. I hoisted the backpack, snack bag filled with enough snacks for an army, and the toy bag onto one shoulder. I bent down at a weird angle and somehow managed to get my 1-year-old, Jordan, onto the other hip, all while making sure my 3-year-old, Grace, was within eyesight. Grabbing her hand and pulling our boarding passes out of my bra, I handed them over to the ticket counter.<\/p>\n

\u2018You have your hands full ma\u2019am.\u2019 I always chuckle under my breath when this statement is said. \u2018That\u2019s for sure,\u2019 I said with a funny tone to throw some humor into the mix. Readjusting my sliding bags, we started the long trudge onto the plane. This isn\u2019t anything new. I\u2019ve got it down to a science. This is my third trip traveling alone with my two cuties in just 8 months. I think back to that cold January night in El Paso, Texas where my husband, Tom, was stationed at the time. We loaded up the car with my husband\u2019s deployment bags, set our alarms for 12 a.m., buckled up the kids in the dark, and drove in silence.<\/p>\n

I was numb. I felt nothing. \u2018Shouldn\u2019t I be sad about saying goodbye?\u2019 Our son was only 4-months-old and was waking up every 2 hours at the time. I was deep in the new baby trenches of lack of sleep and postpartum exhaustion. It must be a defense mechanism to feel no emotion. The families saying goodbye had an hour until boarding. We hugged one last time. The unspoken thoughts of \u2018will this be the last time I see you\u2019 flitter past my mind as we parted ways.<\/p>\n

The reality of him being gone hit me like a brick the next morning.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019m thrust back to the present as Grace impatiently tries to push past all the passengers shuffling to their seats. \u2018Is this our seat?\u2019 \u2018No, honey, I\u2019ll tell you when.\u2019 \u2018Is this our seat, mama?\u2019 \u2018No, Grace, we\u2019re looking for 20B and 20C.\u2019 \u2018ABCDEF\u2026\u2019 she starts reciting as she touches every single armrest we pass. \u2018Here we are Grace! Let mama put our bag above and sanitize before we sit down.\u2019 I place Jordan on a seat while trying not to knock Grace over, and readjusting my bags from my shoulders into my hands. I always put the diaper bag up top and the toy and snack bag below the seat.<\/p>\n

Being a bit of a germaphobe even then, and my son having a tendency to get sick all the time, I diligently wiped every possible surface with disinfectant wipes. I buckle Grace in, hand her water, a lollipop, and a toy, then get to work on my seatbelt while Jordan stands between my legs playing with the netting on the seat in front of us. This is where my anxiety begins. When my husband went on active duty, I was fully on board with the life of adventure and moving every few months. Experiencing different parts of the country and meeting new people. We have met some of our best friends.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

One thing I had to give up was being close to my family at home. The homesickness was no joke. So during the 9 months Tom was gone, I planned three trips back home to see family. I hoped having some big trips planned would help pass the time. On the return from my second trip as we were heading into the El Paso area, we hit a giant wind storm. If you have ever been to El Paso during the windy months, you know what I\u2019m talking about. I looked out the window to see an orange hazy cloudy sky. I had never seen anything like it. I even pointed it out to Grace. We started hitting turbulence which is nerve racking to begin with. \u2018Make sure to buckle your seatbelts, folks,\u2019 the flight attendant came around reminding us all. I double checked Grace and I\u2019s seatbelt, held on to Jordan a little tighter, and tried to distract myself by watching the television in front of us. This wasn\u2019t just the small bumps you usually experience. After a few aggressive side-to-side jarring bumps, my son and I went flying up in the air out of our seat so fast, hitting my head on the overhead compartment, before crashing back towards our seat. Terrified, the plane veered downward towards the right before the pilots corrected and we were back to aggressive turbulence.<\/p>\n

Crying to the young man across the aisle I said, \u2018Did you see if my son hit his head?!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018No ma\u2019am. He did not.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Can you please come hold my daughter\u2019s hand until we land? I need to hold onto my son and I\u2019m too scared to not have both hands on him.\u2019<\/p>\n

This young gentleman, without hesitation, unbuckled and sat next to Grace, holding her hand until we finally landed. Clearly holding it all in Grace, burst out in tears. \u2018She held that in real good,\u2019 the man said. I remember we laughed nervously, relieved to finally be on the ground. As we left the plane, paramedics were waiting.<\/p>\n

\u2018Can you remind me of the signs of a concussion?\u2019<\/p>\n

I told them my seat number so they could check if the seatbelt was faulty, and told them I felt fine because I didn\u2019t want to burden anyone with having to come pick us up.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In truth, I did feel fine at that moment. I was just in a daze and eager to get home after a 12-hour travel day. I later realized it was probably a minor concussion. I was so afraid I would die of a brain hemorrhage in my sleep and my kids would just be in their rooms crying for help that would never come. Anxiety much. With this memory weighing on my shoulders, I sat there anxiously making sure we\u2019re properly buckled, thinking back to the time I thought we were about to die. During this internal landslide, a woman in a pink striped knit sweater stands next to our aisle. \u2018Is this 20A?\u2019 \u2018Yes! Looks like you bought the lucky ticket!\u2019 She smiles with kind eyes beneath her glasses.<\/p>\n

I unbuckle and stand so she could slide by. We all settle into that awkward feeling of basically touching arms. Jordan is already squirming making my arms work overtime, so I make sure to keep him in our area. Grace is playing around with the iPad that she only gets to use on flights. I always hope it entertains her for more than a few minutes. The flight attendants go into their preflight safety and we\u2019re on our way. The tarmac bounces below the wheels; my palms are sweaty, and I try to focus on entertaining Jordan in my arms.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

About 30 minutes into the flight, Jordan won\u2019t stop fussing. I feel embarrassed, and will him to stop. He\u2019s restless in my lap. I just want him to sleep so I can give my arms and back a rest. The woman next to us smiles at him, capturing his attention. He smiles back. \u2018I\u2019m sorry he won\u2019t stop whining.\u2019 \u2018No need to apologize. I have 2 kids and a granddaughter. I\u2019m actually on my way to see them right now.\u2019 \u2018Wow, that must be so exciting! We are heading back to El Paso from seeing all of our family!\u2019<\/p>\n

There are more smiles and silly noises, and Jordan is transfixed by her. She put her arms out, \u2018May I hold him?\u2019 I immediately feel awkward. I don\u2019t want to burden this nice woman with my squirmy, whiny baby. I don\u2019t want to ruin her flight. \u2018Are you sure? He\u2019s pretty heavy. I don\u2019t want to take away from your relaxation.\u2019 \u2018Really, I don\u2019t mind.\u2019 She isn\u2019t super chatty, which can make someone like me who can talk to anyone a little unsettled. I hand Jordan over to her, anxious for a moment thinking about the possibility of turbulence. She has a welcoming scent of a warm, loving person. Jordan immediately rested his head on her shoulder. I smiled at her, \u2018Thank you. Please let me know when I can take him back.\u2019 She nods. Eventually, Jordan falls asleep.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I sit back and put my headphones in, unsure of what to do with myself. Relishing in the fact that my arms and shoulders aren\u2019t in agony anymore. \u2018Let me know if you want me to take him.\u2019 Again, she nods, \u2018I\u2019m good.\u2019 I go back and forth between checking on Grace, who is pretty content playing with toy after toy, and glancing at Jordan sleeping. As we make our descent almost two hours later, Jordan wakes up and I take him back. \u2018Thank you so much, I really appreciate your help.\u2019 \u2018Of course.\u2019 She says with a casual tone as if she does this for strangers every day. I am overwhelmed with so much gratitude for this woman.<\/p>\n

It always feels kind of strange parting ways with someone who has impacted you in a moment that you will likely never see again. I didn\u2019t even get her name, which I later regretted. She probably doesn\u2019t even remember us, but I will never forget her. A month later, my husband returned, and I thought back to the various trips between El Paso and Boston. On two different occasions, we hit bad weather causing us to stay in a random city overnight, and I almost died flying from my seat in turbulence. However, all I could really focus on when thinking back to all our flying experiences was the kindness of these two strangers. I was just a military wife solo parenting trying to survive while my husband was in a war zone. In those moments, they lifted that burden.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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