Monday, May 27, 2013

He Offered Me His Pillow

     It can be the smallest kind gesture from a stranger when you feel like you're about to break. When life weighs down your spirit and your heart. 
It was only a pillow.
     I pulled down my tray table and hunched over about to fall asleep. This would be a long flight.
     "Would you like my pillow?" -He was asking genuinely. I don't know this guy, and he doesn't know me, yet he offered me the only assistance he had available. 
     Could he feel my listlessness? Could he sense the storms inside of my soul? 
He offered me his pillow.
     It was as if he'd offered an umbrella for me to use as I waited for my private storms to subside.
     He wasn't the only one.
I'm in the middle seat with strangers on either side of me. Pillow guy to my right, and blanket guy to my left. 
He offered me his blanket.
     "Would you like my blanket?" He asked.
I gratefully declined, like I do with everyone else's help.
     Another kindness.
     When I boarded this flight, confusion, doubt, and traces of sadness and regret swirled through my body, overwhelming my thoughts and bruising my heart. I began to sift through the causes of my anxieties, mapping out the resolutions, one facet at a time.
     I prayed to my ever patient Father in Heaven, consulting Him, and allowing peace to replace the fears that were flowing through my veins.
     This is when I pulled down that tray table, hunched over, waiting for lucid sleep to take me.
He offered me his pillow.
He offered me his blanket.
     Standing in my own personal raging storm, these strangers, along with the promise of peace from my Heavenly Father, have equipped me with an umbrella and a coat, some comfort.
It was just a pillow.
It was only a blanket offered from two strangers on a plane.
     But it made all the difference.
               I think the sun will come out soon.