only fair

I was coming home from Virginia and the flight was overbooked. Two young members of the Navy were next to me in the hall and we were talking. One had been at sea for four months and going home for part of her leave to see her Grandmother. It was the last four days she had. The other was pregnant and her husband was already with her family in Texas. She was based at Little Creek, on land, and only had a week of leave. The airline threatened, that's the only way I can put it, that they would bump the last five to check in. I told the young women that if either of them were bumped and I was already on the plane, here was my name, I'd give them my seat. Even though I wanted to be home it seemed only right that they have a first chance.
We all got on the plane.

We have opportunities to do little deeds of kindness. The women were both touched that I would consider doing that for them. There were other military folk there too, I could have done it for them as well. It seems only fair.

Three nights before my daughter and I watched a Navy carrier set out to sea, you could see the lights clearly from our hotel on the beach. I thought of all of those who wouldn't see their loved ones for some months...

My uncle Edgar told a story of his coming home from WWII to meet his son for the first time. Evans was eating a cookie. Edgar didn't want to scare him and sat down and Evans came over and offered him a bite of his cookie. The first time they had interacted since he had been born 20 months before. Edgar said, with tears in his eyes, that was THE BEST COOKIE I ever had.

It's New Year's Eve here. We will 'ring' in a new time and of course some of us will make resolutions. We make Intentions here at the McGarey house. What are your intentions for this coming year? How will you make it better than the last year? What will you do for a stranger? A friend? A colleague?

Think about it, pray about it, write it down and make it your own.
God bless you all in 2008/

Bobbie Giltz McGarey
@2007