REFLECTIONS
A few days ago I attended a luncheon to remember and honor one of our beloved Delta Sky Sisters at a food pantry where she spent many hours serving others.
It occurred to me that our career, (as stewardesses/flight attendants) was mostly about serving and caring for others; therefore serving others was just a part of who we are… (a volunteer resource galore). An unexpected and unique family bonded by an identity we now call Sky Sisters. A generation of girls who became strong women and broke many glass ceilings… not to leave out our pilots and sky brothers…just remembering the way we were.
Behind the smiles we had our own struggles; yet some how we left those behind and focused on our duties.
….JUMP SEAT THERAPY…. THE BEST, ….TMI OVERLOAD….
Some of those in attendance I had not seen for many years; however the memories of our flying days were fresh as a new hibiscus bloom in the heat of Texas.
Reflections of those memories remind me of how blessed I am to be a part of so many lives in a career that took us to places around the world. So much beauty, experiences, romance, joy, sorrow, and loss, … a way of life that can only be understood by us.
… So many people different than us yet the same…
…Thousands and thousands of untold stories…
As I looked around the room, conversations about times of all those years in a silver tube painted with a widget of red, white and blue at 35,000 feet, among the clouds brought smiles to my heart….trying to take it all in and not miss any moment.
… Connected By the Wings on our Uniforms…
What a sisterhood! Often miles away from home yet for a trip we were friends that remain in some ways a friend for life and close for forever in our memories.
…… from all walks of life ….
We grew up together in the 60’s as jet travel increased and the world became smaller; our perspectives changed as we learned to be more flexible with schedule changes. Delays taught us patience and tragedies humbled our hearts and taught us to be kinder and more loving. The war of our generation: Vietnam …broke us as we tried to make sense of it all …Woodstock and free love and the pill gave us a lot to think about and decide …what’s it all about anyway.
… Laughter and Tears….
Different beliefs….but still a team
As we remember those who are no longer here in their earth suits, I thought out loud “Thanks for the memories on all those flights with Delta and for the friendships that last a lifetime and beyond. All of you are part of me and I am changed for having this experience with you.”
…Not forgotten…no regrets…a million memories…
Like one small rock thrown in a still pond….the ripples are far reaching…..so it is with our Sky Sisters memories far reaching to the hundreds that we knew and the stories we hold close to our hearts forever…Even the annoying ones and the what the !?!? ones.
Reflections of the faces and the life of the ones we now miss are imprinted in the pictures of our minds and felt in the deep parts of our hearts…
… Just Like the Reflections on the Sea at Sunset…
…….. A TREASURE TO BEHOLD FOR ALL TIME……..
My heart is full of prayerful and thoughtful thoughts to you all.
Martha
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