I had a great jewelry show down in Corpus Christi this past weekend and got to hang out with Teresa for an overnight. She shared pictures and stories of her recent trip to China, Thailand, and India. We laughed, listened to music, and surfed eBay just for the heck of it. Big change from what we would have done twenty years ago, but HEY! We had to grow up sometime!!
My flight schedule heading home on Sunday was going to take me from Corpus to Houston, then onto Baltimore, then Detroit. The Houston flight wasn't full, but I chose a seat near an older gentleman wearing a Vietnam vet ball cap. He seemed a little startled when I sat down next to him, but I offered a cordial, "Good morning." A bright smile lit up his face. I asked if he minded having a cup of coffee with me and he chuckled! He was dressed in a t shirt that had probably seen better days. His skin was darker than charcoal and he had a musical quality to his voice that had me wondering about his origins.
His paper was open to the section on world events covering the threats coming from North Korea. Something made him confide that he was a recovering alcoholic. It struck me that recovering alcoholics are always the most candid individuals. I guess that comes from years of hiding or lying about their addiction. He proceeded to tell me the most incredible stories of his life. His story only confirmed what I have come to realize within the last few years. There are no coincidences in our life and this was no exception.
Mr. Smith came from a Jamaican father and a West Indies mother. They married during World War II and after his father was discharged from the military, they moved to Pennsylvania . His mom spoke fluent French and Spanish. His brother suffered from polio as a child and was crippled. But his mother, who also worked full time, decided to home school his brother because it was recommended to the family that he be sent to the state school. Mr. Smith said his mother was stubborn and refused to accept that his brother couldn't received a solid education like the rest of her children. (His brother received a college diploma and was a successful engineer and has since retired.)
Mr. Smith was drafted during the Vietnam war and served his time working near the North Korean/South Korean border. He said he would share his rations with the North Korean soldier knowing that either could be executed at anytime for communicating - that's how close he was! He did his four years and wandered aimlessly for a bit, but once his aptitude for languages was discovered, he was sent to the Monterrey Language Institute after he reenlisted...in 1972. (I told him that was a VERY good year!! He agreed.) There he did 12-14 hour days studying Farsi, Hindi, and a few others.
And his world opened up!!
A few of his most notable acts were shaking Nelson Mandela's hand while working in South Africa and meeting a most humble Saudi Prince - which he said didn't happen very often. But his most touching act was the fact that he and his wife adopted a troubled teenage girl who had bounced around the system until she was sixteen. She has since gone on to college and married.
Towards the end of our conversation, I asked him, "Have you found your peace?" He looked me directly in the eye and said, "I have." He encouraged me, "If you do anything for your children, have them learn something about all world religions." He said that it helped him to be welcomed into each culture he visited.
I exited the plane with a happy heart and grateful spirit. Who would have thought that my companion for a thirty minute flight would have such a rich history to share? I could have very easily disregarded him because of his appearance and buried myself in my ever present, ever changing array of novels, but with the gentle nudging of the spirit, I found my own gift of peace.
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