Fragile
Sunday I flew from Fresno to Salt Lake City to Atlanta to attend the annual International Christian Retail Show. This is a gathering of suppliers of Christian products and retailers (bookstore owners, websites, etc.). Other than a delay in leaving Fresno, which caused a quick run to the gate in Salt Lake, things were pretty uneventful.
“On and on the rain will fall, like tears from a star. On and on the rain will say, how fragile we are.” Sting
Inflight service was done and we were about 45 minutes into the movie when a commotion 8 - 10 rows in front of me caught my attention. A couple of people jumped up and someone shouted for a doctor. Then a flight attendant did a quick page to find out if there were any medical personnel onboard, and requested immediate assistance.
Several people quickly responded. The flight attendants provided first-aid equipment and the medical folks worked feverishly for about 30 minutes. At one point, a woman groaned in anguish, sobbing deeply. I’ve flown thousands of miles, but I’ve never been on a plane where there was absolute silence like we experienced.
We later learned that a young baby, probably less than 9 months old, had stopped breathing. People who were strangers until that point acted heroically to save a life right in front of the 150 or so passengers on the plane. I’ve experienced death in my family, but never been that close personally to the possibility of death. As I sat in my seat and did the only thing I knew to do - pray - I was reminded of the haunting lyric of Sting’s song.
He may not know it, but his words are very Biblical. Our life is fragile, we are but a vapor that appears and then is gone. We have so little time - really - and what we’re given is so precious. I know the parents of that baby were extremely grateful for the people on Delta flight 1132 Sunday afternoon. I know that the fragile life they held in their arms was returned to them to live longer - for how long, we don’t know. I hope and pray they cherish their daughter, and never forget how fragile she really is.
To Jameela, Jonathan, the nurse from Sanger, and the flight attendants onboard, thank you for using your skills to rescue that fragile life to live another day.
