The Wings, Prayer and a Curious Child

Kindness in Time of Adversity Series 3

The story erstwhile - the Yugoslav Airline cabin crew had seated us in our rightful place... and our life's journey resumed ...

"Forget yesterday's defeats and ignore the problems of tomorrow. This is it. Doomsday. All you have. Make it the best day of your year. The saddest words you can ever utter are, ''If I had my life to live over again.'' Take the baton, now. Run with it! This is your day!"

Og Mandino's words above echoed in my subconscious mind like ghostly voices coming from empty dumb bells as my frayed nerves started to settle down when all was quiet on the plane. Yes, that day up on the air  was our day! My children and I. A day of freedom! Freedom from woes. Up there on the air, flying ... aimlessly high ... but to Germany. A long, long way ... away from home! Home?

As I travelled with children, Robert Benchley was spot on when he mentioned and I quote, "...there are two classes of travel - first class, and with children."  It's pertinently obvious which class I belonged, not that I mind.

Feeling relaxed, I re-focused my mind to our new adventure while in my arms was a baby comfortably snuggling and sleeping most of the time. That gave me a feeling of serenity and satisfaction as I held her tight close to my breast and endlessly kissed her. At the same time, I also gave equal attention to my little oldest baby girl in her two who was sitting beside me behaving like she was an adult of 20.

A baby she was or appropriately a dolly little girl and active, she begun to feel at home on the plane full of passengers who quickly took fancy of her. She was a very friendly and attentive little girl her age and a good communicator. A child with an adult mind. She spoke no nonsense. Pretty much a straight-laced little fella she was!

The Curiosity of a Child:

Now, now, boredom had started to unsettle her. She undid her seat belt to my wonderment and with a frown on my brow I asked her what she was up to. She said, "I'll just go there". She vanished like a lightning flash but I was helpless having a baby getting heavy in my arms that I froze on my seat and just watched where she was going.

"I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity." ~Eleanor Roosevelt

I wonder if Mrs Roosevelt knew she was a prophet of her kind. But curiosity has been always a part of any child's wardrobe of character. Even a cat is curious. And to think it's not even a child. Back to my girl ... ah yes ... there she was!

She went towards the cockpit but as I found out, she stopped at the Mess Compartment  whatever it was called, where food was prepared for serving. She talked to one flight attendant, who quickly noticed her, that she wanted a piece of cake. She asked with a please. The attendant obliged and instructed her to go back to her seat with a promise she would follow her with a plate of cake.

By the time my girl finished click-clacking her seat belt back on and as I was about to interrogate her adventure, the stewardess approached us with a smile. In her hand was a dessert-plate of a chocolate cake. Or was it?

She bent down to the little passenger beside me and apologetically explained that they didn't have a cake but only chocolate mousse. She spooned a sample to the girl to see if she liked it. My little diplomat approved with a nod and said, "Yum, yum!" She thanked the lady steward with pleasure and the poor kind lady smiled and endorsed the plate to her with further instruction to let Mommy helped her.

The moment the lady steward turned her back, the diplomat pushed the plate towards me and said, "Mom, you can have it because am not having it." Much as I wanted to laugh with amusement, I decided to be firmed with my tone and told her gently, "well, you asked for it, so you must eat it." I was tempted to eat the yummy chocolate mousse myself, but I restrained for I wanted to give my adult kid a lesson. It was her first lesson in life. Of course, she has no memory of that scenario, but it was retold at a later time when they're big enough to understand and both my girls laughed.

On that flight, I did not remember if I ever visited the comfort room for any personal necessity. I don't think I did! My body was in full control and discomfort was out of the way. What with a baby in my arms that kept me occupied all the time. Motherhood especially if you are on your own makes a mother selfless. Your mind, heart, soul and life as a whole is nothing but for the children. This rule is not applicable to every mother though, especially if she belongs to a well-privileged family.

My children were generally quiet on board, until ... a new day was born that we spied in the sky from across the window of the left isle. The white clouds were rolling faster and they looked like cotton balls. The golden ball of that beautiful morning sent its warm rays and they didn't go unnoticed even if we were seating in the middle isle.

When breakfast was served by the most efficient crew who offered us very generous serving, drinks included, my little adventurer was on her prowling mode again. This time, she asked my permission if she could go outside to play as she was looking at the tempting clouds the plane had passed through. She thought it was a beautiful day and here she was inside doing nothing but sit down and shut up! Oh, she got books to skim and scum, papers and colored crayons to scribble and draw. She just wanted to do something different.

She got up from her seat and asked me, "Mom, can I hop outside, please?" You know that innocent and truthful matter of factly look in a child's eyes as she would look at you with pleading. I asked her back, "what are you going to do outside? Dance in the clouds?" She must be thinking that we were riding on the bus.

But the passenger across the isle who sat by the window heard her plea, so he offered his help to show her what's outside the plane. With my nod, she went to satisfy her curiosity and the man was too kind to explain as he pointed to her the beautiful white clouds and what's down below. She stood by the window and watched and fell silent. When her curiosity was satisfied, she thanked the kind man and took her seat. The beauty of the angel rested on her as she dozed off to sleep. I thanked the man with a smile. He nodded back.

Beginning today, treat everyone you meet, friend or foe, loved one or stranger, as if they were going to be dead at midnight. Extend to each person, no matter how trivial the contact, all the care and kindness and understanding and love that you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again." ~Og Mandino

Yes, we must not think of any reward once we dispensed kindness, love and understanding. Give and forget. Take and remember. (“Blessed are those who can give without remembering, and take without forgetting.” ~Elizabeth Asquith Bibesco)

Finally, my mind was completely at rest. I closed my eyes - said a prayer for our safety. Above all - gratefulness.



And today, my baby turns 21! Happy Birthday Palangga (means Sweetheart)

To be continued .... more kindnesses ... never ending kindnesses ....