I recently had to fly out to Ireland on a short business trip.
Flying by Ryanair with no seat reservations leads to some interesting scenarios.
However as I had done this journey before I knew what to expect.
My preferred option on a Boeing 737 as far as seating is concerned is up the stairs and the first row of seats just in the door.
This has three benefits.
1. There is unlimited legroom
2. The porthole gives an unobscured view of the countryside
3. You get to be first off the plane at the other end.
The downside is that if you are one of the first to get on the aircraft, you are stuck right next to a large hole for the weather to throw whatever it likes at you.
Nevertheless it is a small price to pay for such a good seat!
I was on a bit of a roll with 3 flights in a row giving me my desired seat. However having checked in early at Dublin airport, and arriving at the departure lounge, my heart sank.
Ryanair load their aircraft in the sequence people have checked in. The first 95 get on board first followed by the rest. My ticket said I was number 96! The only exceptions to this are people who have checked in online, or families with small children.
I reconciled myself to the fact that I was not going to get my seat!
Sitting in the departure lounge I soon had a young mum with a toddler asleep in a baby buggy sit in the seat next to me.
I caught her glancing occasionally at me as if eyeing me up. After a few minutes she asked if I would be willing to keep an eye on her youngster while she went and purchased a bottle of water for when her child woke up. This I agreed to, surprised at her trusting a total stranger with her child.
She soon returned and thanked me, adding that I had looked a reliable sort of person, and that she didn't make a habit of this.
We continued to chat, and I learnt that she was flying to Gatwick to connect with a flight to Zurich.
It became very quickly apparent that she had her work cut out walking across the apron with a buggy, a large holdall and a young child fast asleep. This with strong wind and squally showers.
Laughingly I offered to be her husband for 10 minutes by helping to carry whatever she wanted to the aircraft for her if that would be of help to her.
She gladly accepted the offer, doubling up with laughter at the suggestion, however said that as we were going to have to exit the departure lounge together we would need to know each others name, and just as important that I knew the name of the child.
It was only at that point that it dawned on me that the number 96 on my boarding card was now redundant, and that miraculously in the absence of online bookings, and no other young children on the flight I was going to be the first person on the aircraft!!
As we were walking together across the apron me carrying the baggage, and she pushing the baby who was oblivious to her recent adoption, Helen turned to me and said "this must be my lucky day coming across you".To which I was able to reply "Its nothing to do with luck. I'm a Christian and I believe God puts you in the right place at the right time!"
I got my seat, helped Helen at Gatwick with her luggage at baggage reclaim, and put meaning in what was going to be just another day. I wonder what she was thinking at the end of the day when she recalled the events that had taken place after she had left home that morning.
It got me thinking that our Master goes to enormous lengths to work out the plan that He has for each of us.
When the psalmist wrote "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." He too must have been looking back on how amazing God had worked things out in his life.
It is mind blowing when you realise that the tiniest detail of our lives has been either planned or allowed for in the great scheme of things that God calls the plan for our life.
To quote part of a poem written by Rick Warren in his book Forty Days of Purpose which I would highly recommend, he writes -
You are who you are for a reason
You're part of an intricate plan
You're a precious and perfect unique design
Called God's special woman or man."
9 comments:
Have missed your posts, so this was a good read. How are things? I keep finding myself praying for Mrs Solway on and off, so please send her my love.
Hi Karen
Things are good thanks. Eileen will be grateful for your prayers, can't say more, but enough to say those prayers were needed during the last 6 weeks, please continue.
I will continue to pray for Eileen, thanks for letting me know that prayers have been timely.
Have you thought any further about having your book put into print? I believe it would be a huge blessing to get it 'out there'.
Hi Karen
When I last looked at having it printed it was going to cost about £10,000. Have you any ideas where it could be printed free?
Hi there Ferby,
I too have missed your posts and really enjoyed this one. Being a frequent flyer I can just picture what happened. I thought your interaction with "Helen" to be both funloving, truth and life giving, and very reflective of our Lord himself in his dealings with man. I am sure that Helen must have been thinking about it all when she finally got to her destination.
Hey Ferby,
I just read your poem..Lord make me a blessing... and that is exactly what you were on the flight... isn´t that great!
Hi Ally
Thanks for your encouragement. You never know what or who God puts in your path. He is showing so much to me at the moment about the plan He has for our lives, and how in the Psalms David says "Nothing can thwart them."
Bless you again for passing by.
There is a publishing site, here is the link - http://www.lulu.com/.
Hubby and I have checked it out and have heard positive reports, I keep on thinking about publishing mine and then thinking - nah, it's not good enough.
Check it out and see if it is of any interest to you.
Thank you so much Karen for this link, it looks really promising.
There is a lot to read up, so will keep you posted.
I think I will need to possibly rewrite some parts of the book.
Looks as if I have a winter project!!
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