Monday, August 17, 2009

Edward is doing well...thank you for your prayers....A Sack Lunch....





Dear Bloggers,


Edward continues to do well...we give all the praise and glory to our Lord...thank you all for your prayers and good wishes...each one was deeply appreciated...

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I've received the email before about the sack lunches but I want to share it with you...even if you've already read it...we owe such a debt of gratitude to our brave men and women in the military as well as their families...


Our veterans through the years have given so such and asked so little...thank you...


God Bless the USA


cid:3.633768035@web53004.mail.re2.yahoo.com



The Sack Lunches

I put my carry-on in the luggage
Compartment and sat down in my
Assigned seat. It was going to be a
Long flight. 'I'm glad I have a
Good book to read. Perhaps I will get
A short nap,' I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of
Soldiers came down the aisle and
Filled all the vacant seats, totally
Surrounding me. I decided to
Start a conversation.
'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.

'Petawawa. We'll be there for two
Weeks for special training, and then
We're being deployed to Afghanistan

After flying for about an hour, an
Announcement was made that sack
Lunches were available for five
Dollars. It would be several hours
Before we reached the east, and I
Quickly decided a lunch would help
Pass the time..

As I reached for my wallet, I
Overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he
Planned to buy lunch.
'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably
Wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base '

His friend agreed.

I looked around at the other
Soldiers. None were buying lunch. I
Walked to the back of the plane and
Handed the flight attendant a
Fifty dollar bill.
'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed
Tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a
Soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'

Picking up ten sacks, she headed up
The aisle to where the soldiers
Were seated. She stopped at my seat
And asked, 'Which do you like
Best - beef or chicken?'

'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why
She asked. She turned and went to
The front of plane, returning a
Minute later with a dinner plate from
First class. 'This is your thanks..'

After we finished eating, I went
Again to the back of the plane,
Heading for the rest room.
A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it.
Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.

Soon after I returned to my seat, I
Saw the Flight Captain coming down
The aisle, looking at the aisle
Numbers as he walked, I hoped he was
Not looking for me, but noticed he
Was looking at the numbers only on
My side of the plane.
When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, and said,
'I want to shake your hand.'

Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I
Stood and took the Captain's hand.
With a booming voice he said, 'I was
A soldier and I was a military pilot.
Once, someone bought me a lunch.
It was an act of kindness I
Never forgot.' I was embarrassed
When applause was heard from all of
The passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the
Plane so I could stretch my legs.
A man who was seated about six rows
In front of me reached out his
Hand, wanting to shake mine. He left
Another twenty-five dollars in my palm.

When we landed I gathered my
Belongings and started to deplane.
Waiting just inside the airplane door
Was a man who stopped me, put
Something in my shirt pocket, turned,
And walked away without saying a
Word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the
Soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them
And handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to
Reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich.
God Bless You.'

Ten young men left that flight
Feeling the love and respect of their
Fellow travelers. As I walked
Briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return.
These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only
Give them a couple of meals.

It seemed so little...

A veteran is someone who, at one
Point in his life, wrote a blank check
Made payable to 'The United States of
America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.'

That is Honor, and there are way too
many people in this country who
no longer understand it.'


May God give you the strength and
courage to pass this along to
everyone on your email buddy list....

I JUST DID




cid:4.633768035@web53004.mail.re2.yahoo.com











10 comments:

Lou Cinda @ Tattered Hydrangeas said...

I loved this post! It made me cry...I had never read it before.

I am so glad Edward continues to improve!

Lou Cinda :)

Lou Cinda @ Tattered Hydrangeas said...

Betty: I live in Gadsden, so you came right through my town! My husband is from the Anniston area.

Have a great day!

Lou Cinda

Heather said...

I'm glad your hubby is doing better. It's nice to hear from you again. We've missed your posts. I love this story about the lunches. Thanks for sharing it!

Cathy said...

A great email, Dear ~ I'm glad Edward is doing well. Thanks for visiting me. Praying for you two ~
Love and Hugs,
Cathy

Barbara said...

Glald for update on Edward and to know he is doing well.

In reading your post it had me remembering 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step' quite apt for this act of kindness.

Yes indeed the Grandchildren do grow fast. Thanks for visiting Betty.

English Cottage in Georgia said...

How wonderful some people are...AND their actions are contagious. I love this post. Thanks so much for sharing:-)

Carol............. said...

Thank you for that lovely post! Whenever I encounter a soldier I make it a point to tell him how much he and all of the servicemen and women are appreciated. It always makes me feel good to be able to tell them that.

English Cottage in Georgia said...

Betty, I would love to have you drop by. We do take our daughter to and from school in Macon daily. Hope our paths meet if your do come through our town. We are on the main st. from Thomaston:-)

nannykim said...

Thanks for sharing this. My youngest is in a guard unit that is going back to Afganistan for a second time. He will not be goin with them since he has one last college class to finish and some more training to do. But it is so good to see people doing those small things!

Quiltpiecer said...

My first visit to your blog, but am glad your hubby is doing better. I read The Sack Lunch and it brought tears to my eyes. I'd never read it before but I will be sharing with all my friends. Thank you.