For those who know me well, understand that I have a great sense of appreciation for those who prepare the way for others. I am grateful for those individuals who's sacrifices have made it possible for me to live a better life, both attributing to my success and my well being. An excellent example of the sincere appreciation for "one person who made the difference" is the story of jet pilot, Charles Plumb.Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from his experiences.
One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, “You’re Plumb, you flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk and you were shot down!” “How in the world did you know that?” asked Plumb. “I packed your parachute,” the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man shook his hand and said, “I guess it worked!” Plumb assured him, “It sure did. If that chute hadn’t opened, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about the man he'd met earlier in the day. Plumb says, “I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said good morning, how are you, or greeted him at all - because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor.”
Plumb thought about the hundreds of hours that sailor must have spent standing in front of a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship. He would have carefully weaved the shrouds, folded the silks of each chute and given meticulous attention to detail. Every time he packed another parachute, the young sailor held in his hands the fate of someone he didn’t know.
After reading this story, I paused to think of the hundreds of people throughout my lifetime who have "packed my parachutes!" I was very emotional, for there are many, from my mother and father to school teachers, friends, neighbors, church leaders, camp directors, aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers, grandparents, husbands and wives... the list is endless! Throughout my life, these amazing people have provided me with their strength, wisdom, courage, inspiration, protection, service, shelter, motivation, comfort, sustenance, example, sacrifice, etc., and all for the purpose of assisting me in having a successful and rewarding life. So, now I ask you, "Who packed your parachute?"
Sometimes in the daily challenges of life, we miss what is really important and perhaps overlook "the sailor" so to speak. How often do we show our gratitude by saying hello, please and thank you. Maybe we fail to congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice with no reasons in mind.
November and December are special months of gratitude and thankfulness. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize the people who pack your parachutes. It may be a physical, mental, emotional or spiritual parachute, but they are all being packed by someone who sincerely cares that you land safely at your desired destination. Written by Linda Sumner Urza, One find day
