MH370 were the call letters for a Malaysia Airline airplane. A Boening 777, that departed Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 41 minutes past midnight on March 8,2014. Its destination was Beijing Capital International Airport.
Roughly one hour into the six and a half hour flight something happened. Exactly what happened and why it happened is still unknown and may never be known. The plane had 227 passengers and 12 crew members. While the majority of the people were from China, there were people from 15 different nations on that plane.
MH370 was a little world. Like every flight, people from different corners of this planet join together to go to a shared destination. On these flights are men, women, and children. There are teenagers, college students, retired couples, and even folks on a business trip.
Every man on that flight was someone's son. He also might have been a husband, maybe a dad. He also might have been a brother or an uncle.
Every woman on that flight was someone's daughter. She also might have been a wife and maybe a mother. She also could have been a sister or an aunt.
The point is that everyone on that plane touched someone's life. They made someone laugh. Their touch and hug warmed someone's soul. For me, that is the part that hurts. Their loved ones, as of this writing, have no closure. The physical bodies of those passengers may never be recovered, yet I pray answers are found.
I fly internationally once a year. From Lincoln, Nebraska to Manchester, England, I spend roughly 12 hours on a plane and at least six hours at airports. When the adventure ends, I'm exhausted and relieved. Also I am happy and excited. I'm greeted at the airport with a huge smile and warm loving hug.
My last trip, I had just retrieved my luggage and was making my way to the main terminal. I had a few people in front of me and some behind me. Down the halls we went and you could see the terminal. A gentleman behind let out an ”aaah” and I heard a hearty laugh come from him. I had been looking at the ground and when I looked up, I saw a young boy, probably 9 years old and a young girl, probably 13 years old.
They both had a huge smile and they were holding a sign that said, “Welcome Home Daddy.” The man passed me and I watched as all three of them hugged and I could see the tears in all their eyes. And as I smiled at them, I knew that soon I would be getting my own hug and yes having my own tears flowing.
Flights are filled with anxiety as well as excitement. On my flight days, I start my journey from a small regional airport and hop on a small jet for an hour and a half flight to Chicago. This flight, I'll sit next to the window and look out, like a little kid, enjoying the thrill of the day.
Then the long flight... 8 hours. This flight, I'll take an aisle seat, just to have a little bit more room. I'll watch a couple of movies and eat a couple of meals. I'll read a little and even write something for my blog. And I'll watch the time move along. Amazingly, it is a fast flight.
When that final hour starts, I begin thinking of my girlfriends smile as we see each other for the first time in at least six months. I think about the home I'll be staying in and the friends I have made in previous four visits. I think about the canals and fish and chips and crumpets.
People on MH370 weren't that long into their flight to be thinking about landing, yet I'm sure they were thinking about loved ones waiting for them. And in Beijing, people were still sleeping. Alarms set, to wake up early and get ready for an exciting day to be reunited with loved ones.
Will MH370 change my thoughts on flights? No, not at all. I look at air flight as a very spiritual experience. With everything we do in our lives we have some kind of control. We drive our cars, we're not in control of the other driver, or even the mechanical abilities of our own car, yet we still have a little control.
No matter how much we try to be “free” in our lives, we still try to maintain some kind of control. On an airplane, we have no control. We are totally powerless. We put our lives in the hands of our Higher Power and have faith that this Higher Power, will give us an airplane that is safe and the people that have control will take care of us to the best of their abilities.
As I'm writing this, objects are slowly being pulled from the Indian Ocean. It is still unknown if they are from the plane or not. In the end, I hope that families can find peace. That their anger over this whole nightmare, is replaced with memories of their loved ones.
Pray for Flight MH370...
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