There is something about flying that I really love. I’m not sure if it’s just that exclusive time that you have, away from work, friends, technology, to focus on your thoughts and contemplate life’s grand questions, or the idea of meeting new people. I don’t know. All I know is that I love to fly. This time, I was flying to Orange County, California (Yay West Coast!). I pretty much spent the whole day in flights. From Charlotte, North Carolina to Houston, Texas, I sat next to a woman who looked like she wanted to throw me off the plane! My layover in Texas introduced me to a lovely Indian couple and I enjoyed conversing with them in Hindi for all of the 10mins I had before I boarded the flight to California.

At the outset let me just say – I’m not a big fan of aisle seats. When I wasn’t assigned one this time, I was almost annoyed at this window “sitter” who I hadn’t even met. I mean, I should have been sitting by the window. It’s what I enjoy most while flying. Inwardly rolling my eyes, I walked up to my seat, mentally telling myself not to like this person who was sitting in a seat that should’ve been mine. Then, I met Matthew! With a sweet smile and a “Hi, I’m Matthew!” this 26yrs old window-seat-stealer stole my heart.

Matthew wasn’t like other 26yr-olds I’ve met. He was special. Yes, I do mean that he had special needs – the kind that you can tell as soon as you laid eyes on them. This precious man spent his time sneaking smiles at me, showing off his watch to me, and sharing the awe there is in watching the world from an aerial view. In my three hours with Matthew, I learned some very important lessons –

1. Smile:

Strangers will seldom become friends if you don’t break the ice with a smile. Because Matthew chose to smile at me, I had the opportunity to spend the evening conversing with him and his mom and sharing our stories of God’s goodness in our lives.

2. Put yourself out there:

My biggest problems is introducing myself. I find it so hard to walk up to a stranger and say, “Hi, I’m Rachel.” I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? People might not respond? Or perhaps like my previous flight-mate, look at me like they wanted to fling me out of the airplane. But Matthew… He didn’t think about any of those things. He simply smiled and stretched out his hand to me. That was the beginning of several laughs and multitude of high-fives!

3. Don’t lose the wonder:

Every time I’ve flown, and I’ve flown several times, I’ve sat by the window and gazed at God’s creation. However, after the first few minutes, my gaze almost turns into a mindless stare into infinity. But not for Matthew. He enjoyed watching the flight take off. He was thrilled by the lights on the flight wing. He was amazed that tiny lights on the ground could illuminate the darkness of the night. The best part, he didn’t keep that wonder to himself. I cannot tell you the number of times he said, “Rachel, you’ve got to see this!” “Rachel, ain’t that awesome.”

4. Be flexible:

Matthew was under the impression that we would land in Orange County at 8pm. He was right. Well, almost. We were going to land at 8pm PACIFIC time. However, Matthew’s watch was set for Central time – 2hrs BEHIND pacific time. So imagine his frustration when at 7.45pm (according to his watch) his mother gently told him he had two more hours of flight time remaining! Did he throw a fit? Nope! He just took off his watch and let his mom fix the time. Now, he’d wait patiently through those additional hours.

5. Say I love you!:

Matthew was such an affectionate young man! From time to time, he’d stroke his mother’s hand and lay his head on her shoulders. When she fell asleep, he watched her and made sure she was alright. How do I know this? Well, he woke her up several times and asked her! Lol. Sure his mom didn’t get the full nap she’d have liked but she knew, without a shadow of doubt, that her son cared for her. When she put his fears at ease, he kissed her and said, “I love you mom!” How many of us do that? Tell our parents and loved ones that we love them? And I don’t just mean at birthdays, festivals or special occasions. When there is no celebration, would we still consider looking at our family and saying, “Hey, I love you!”

Matthew may not have many of the faculties that I do. He may not have the same abilities as me. But he taught me what it means to live simple, like a child would.

So, I’m going to resolve to attempt to develop that child-like attitude. To start us off – “Hi, I’m Rachel!”

In closing I have to say – I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord!

PS: To all the parents of special kids out there – Y’all are awesome! I have nothing but the utmost respect and regard for you. Your patience and endurance is unfathomable. Because of how you raise your children, people like me are blessed. You’re making a difference. In loving your child the way you do, you’re impacting so many lives.