THE PLANE WAS LATE
[Today is the feast of Pentecost. As a change of pace - instead of a homily - last night I decided on writing a story to try to capture a few of the themes in today's readings. Come Holy Spirit!]
He had been thinking - and
imaging - and picturing - and planning -
for weeks now - how he’d be home for Memorial Day Weekend - back to the States - back in his own house with
mom and dad and family - back in his own bed - home - home for his baby
sister’s wedding - on Memorial Day
Weekend.
But it looked like it might not
happen….
All kinds of planes - from all around the world were grounded in Frankfurt, Germany
and a dozen other airports in Europe.
They were stuck. After they landed
- and some with difficulty - they couldn’t take off. They were just sitting
there on airport tarmacs and at terminals all around Europe.
And it wasn’t because of
terrorists - or the weather. It was because of a major European computer
breakdown - meltdown - overload - all over Europe.
It happened that Thursday - on his way home from Afghanistan
to Frankfurt, Germany
to Dulles Airport
in Virginia.
There he was stuck in an airport - in a terminal - in Frankfurt, Germany - in
his military fatigues - all by himself - with an enormous grouping of people
from all over the world.
Cell phones - I-phones - Blackberries,
monitors - TV sets - were all down. It was a major glitch that "gicked" up
everything - along with lights and electrical systems. Everything had become interconnected
- and therefore over dependent on computers - and computers controlled everything - radar, electrical systems, etc. etc. etc. - lots
of etceteras.
He parked himself on the floor
against a wall and he began watching how human beings responded and dealt with adversity
- and how people treated one another - when in adversity.
As a Marine - as someone who was
in some horrible situations in Iraq
and now in Afghanistan - this was nothing.
He began to notice the crush or
the rush in the spirit of people in the big airport terminal - people who
differed in outfits, suits, dresses, robes - headgear - skin color - weight -
age - language and luggage.
Some people let their grouch out
with growls; some people were reaching out to help other people - especially
mothers and grandmothers with little children.
He tried to nap - but it was
too noisy. Besides that - kids would
bump into him and others - while playing games - while adults were doing other
things. Some people would yell and get angry for being bumped or woken up - and some people
would give the kid who fell into them a smile or a piece of gum or candy.
He wondered what he’d be like if
and when he became a parent.
He took his computer from out his
pack. The battery was good. He began typing down observations in the Word
Processor part of his computer - questions and comments about what he saw in
front of him - and what was going on around him.
Question: “Is an airport a
microcosm of this whole world of ours?”
Comment and question: “There are two kinds of people: those with a
good spirit and those with a bad spirit. Is it as simple as that?”
Comment and question: “Mom - and especially
dad - were always so, so patient. Is that why all five of us kids are known to
be such easy going persons?”
Question: "Do all babies speak the same language?"
“Comment: "There are two kinds of
people: those who share what they have with others and those who keep what they
have to themselves.”
Comment: "There are complainers
and there are those who can adjust to what they cannot contain or control.”
Question and comment: "Who said language was
a barrier? It looks to me that people who want to communicate with people find
ways to communicate with other people. Nemo problema. And smiles are a great
way to start.”
Comment: “There are readers of books and readers of people. It looks like all those in the terminal who are reading have old fashioned books and magazines and newspapers. I wonder how many have Kindles and Nooks."
Question and comment: “Did that fight over
there start because someone asked someone if they could take their stuff off
the empty seat next to them? It looks like there are three kinds of people: those who won't move their stuff; those who move their stuff so others can sit; and those who get up and give their seat to a mom with a
child or to an older person?”
Comment: "There are watch watches
and people who use their cell phones for keeping time. Now that cell
phones are down, they have to ask the watch watchers for the time. It’s
interesting how some people are more time conscious than other people.”
Comment: "It’s out of my hands
whether I’ll get home for my baby sister’s wedding or not - so time will tell.”
Comment: "There are touchers and
there are people who never touch the other person. Interesting.”
Question: "Is that guy over there
on his lap top - the guy who is looking around - is he like me - jotting down what he’s seeing? Oops I think
he’s watching me? Look he just smiled.”
Question: "Is this what novelists
or artists do: go to public places and watch and listen to others.”
Question: "Does God watch
everything we do?”
Question: "How does prayer work?
If I pray, will God speed up the solution to this mess?”
Comment: "I don’t know. I’ve
heard that the Al Qaeda pray every morning to kill us in Afghanistan. I
pray to God to get them to change their minds. Yet, I don’t know how prayer
works.” He paused and thought some more. Then he jotted down: “Lord, please give patience to
the men and women working right now to fix all these computer problems.”
Comment: "Hope they don’t run out of toilet paper. Thank God the toilets flush.
But it is getting a bit hot in here - without air conditioning - and it looks
like airport windows don’t have ways they can be opened.”
He began thinking about the war
in Afghanistan. Question: “Two hundred years from now, will what we did there
have an impact on their national life?”
He had read a book called, The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne
Seierstad. It gave him a glimpse of how women were treated there by the
Taliban. "When we get out, will the Taliban spirit and take on life crush
women’s education and freedom gains?" That book gave him one more reason for being in Afghanistan
- but he asked himself, "Can we be the world’s police - and democratizers - and protectors? Big
questions. Big questions."
He thought about his future:
marriage, family, job, what have you. He tried some sleep again - and this time it came. His big military
duffle bag and pack made a good pillow.
Suddenly he woke up to the sounds of overwhelming
cheers and clapping. People were standing up and hugging each other and
gathering their stuff. Lights were going on. Monitors were starting to post
schedules and timetables. "It looks like we’re back in business."
"It looks like I’m going to get
home for my sister’s wedding." He tried his cell phone. It wasn’t working yet.
Everyone else was doing the same thing. Some cursed in a spirit of frustration;
others seemed calm and cool - knowing in time - all will be well once again.
Then he noticed someone on a cell
phone and she was talking to someone somewhere - and she wasn’t speaking
English. As she talked - he understood by her gestures and her smile - that she
was happy. Things were good - and she’d be where she was headed to real soon -
to share in the reality of whomever she was talking to.
Just then his phone went off - and he was talking to his sister. “I might be
late, but I’ll be there. Wouldn’t miss your wedding for the world. Save me a big
piece of cake and a big hug and a prayer and please say a prayer for me.”
