Yesterday, Doug and I flew home from Germany on a Lufthansa flight (I highly recommend Lufthansa for so many reasons). The airplane was packed going over as well as returning home. We sat in the middle section with three seats and I was in the middle. A young lady, who did not speak much English, sat next to me. When we got our first meal, she ordered a couple glasses of wine (free on Lufthansa, btw). We giggled over that and I told her I should have done the same!

She slept most of the flight. As we landed, Doug spoke to her and found out she was trying to catch a connecting flight to Denver. We wished her luck, but it didn’t look good. We ran into her again at baggage and that’s when we found out she was from the Ukraine. I started to cry as she shared her story. She’s an only child and her parents sent her here (her flights were from Ukraine-Turkey-Munich-Newark-Denver). Her parents won’t leave—they sent her to be safe. She started crying when she saw me crying; she rubbed my shoulder and said, “I cry everyday.” I did try to get United to hold her flight, but I couldn’t find anyone to help us. When she finally got her bags, she smiled at me and waved as she ran off to get her next flight. I smiled and waved back, trying to somehow envelop her in prayers and good wishes for safety and success in getting to Denver and more. I wanted to help more, but off she went, leaving me with a heavy heart about her and her family.

I don’t know what you are dealing with today, but I hope my story about my Ukrainian friend puts everything in perspective. At the age of maybe 22, this young lady was fleeing her country for her life and no one on that plane from Munich even knew it, myself included. Life is not easy. And so on behalf of my new friend, let’s let everyone go in front of us, let’s offer to buy a stranger coffee, let’s be a whole lot nicer than we currently are. We can raise the level of consciousness in this world by simply trying to do so!

So as I waited for my shuttle at Newark Airport that seemed as though it would never come, and when it did, it was full and I had to wait longer (it was already 10 pm)— I asked myself, “What is important?” It certainly wasn’t me at that moment.

Let’s GO! WE CAN DO AND BE BETTER!

Beth