Who's Parachute Are You Packing?
September 11, 2001 - For all victims of the terrorism tragedy in the United States of America.
Thank You, O Lord God for the wonderful people You Have Caused to be a
part of my life.
Charles Plumb, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, was a jet pilot in
Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a
surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy
hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese
prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on
lessons learned from that experience.
One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man
at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet
fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, You were
shot down!"
"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.
"I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise
and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!"
Plumb assured him, "It sure did, If your chute hadn't worked, I
wouldn't be here today."
"I couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man," Plumb says.
"I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a
white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how
many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, How
are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he
was just a sailor.
Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden
table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and
folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the
fate of someone he didn't know.
Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone
has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day.
Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his
plane was shot down over enemy territory - he needed his physical
parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his
spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching
safety.
Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is
really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you,
congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them,
give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason.
As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people
who pack your parachute. I am sending you this as my way of thanking
you for your part in packing my parachute!!! And I hope you will send
it on to those who have helped pack yours! Have a great day!
You have many opportunities to pack some parachutes today!
[ Author Unknown -- from chaplain@bdadvertising.com ]
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