The Miserable Plane Ride

Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted.

1 Peter 3:8

I was on edge, to say the least. My daughter, who was about twelve months old at the time, was screaming on an airplane and wouldn’t stop. Despite her angelic-looking blonde hair and innocent face, her big, blue, tear-filled eyes were a source of misery for everyone in the rows around us on the long flight. I had plied her with food, drinks, and toys. I had passed her back and forth with my husband. I had bounced her, rocked her, and tried everything I could think of, but still she screamed. She was tired and just wanted to be put down, not held on my lap where she was required to be.

I felt helpless against the looks of displeasure radiating toward me from disgruntled passengers. Embarrassed and trying to hold in tears of my own, I had my head tucked down toward my chest when I felt a hand gently touch my shoulder.

“I’ll take her,” a woman seated behind us offered kindly, a smile on her face. She had been playing peekaboo with Elise earlier. Normally, I wouldn’t hand my child to a stranger, but figuring we were in an enclosed area and there wasn’t any harm in letting her hold her for a moment, I gratefully lifted my aching arms and passed her over to the woman.

Immediately, Elise became enthralled with the woman’s necklace, tugging at it and staring at it intently. They played more peekaboo, and Elise bounced on the woman’s lap. I felt myself relaxing as the crying stopped and laughter ensued. When the woman passed Elise back to me about ten minutes later, the respite had been enough to help me calm down and face the rest of the ride. The woman’s attitude was clear: she sympathized with the frustration I felt, and her tenderheartedness moved her to action. Her kindness in the face of tears—mine and my daughter’s—was enough to bolster my hope that things could get better.

—Kristin

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Speak words of encouragement or take action to show someone that you sympathize with their circumstances, offering hope that things will get better.

From the book