The Blessing of Missed Connections

Anthony, my youngest son, was in the army and was stationed at Mainz, Germany. After he shipped out, he celebrated his twentieth and twenty-first birthdays by himself. I was adamant that he would not spend another birthday without seeing me.

I did not have money for the trip, and I had never been to Europe, but I found work caring for a woman in my neighborhood and put two hundred dollars each month into savings. I donated plasma through plasmapheresis twice a week and added fifteen dollars each time to my savings. I skipped paying my mortgage for one month and added five hundred dollars into my account. I prepaid the travel agent and was on my way! My son had taken leave and met me at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, and we began our trip.

Together, we toured twelve countries, including Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, France, Switzerland, and England.

What a wonderful experience we shared! We said goodbye at the Frankfurt Airport as I waited in line to board my plane home. The plane remained on the tarmac for four hours. No one could get off the plane. The flight attendant told us the airline would hold our connecting flight in London. Finally, we learned someone had checked in luggage but had not boarded the plane. We watched workers remove our bags and place them on the tarmac.

Each one was checked against the passenger list and then returned to the hold. When we arrived at Heathrow Airport in London, England, our connections had departed. Every one of us had to be rerouted. We were given vouchers for food to compensate us for the long wait. I was sent to New York, United States of America, and finally to Detroit, Michigan, where I had started my trip a month before. As I drove to my home in Columbus, Ohio, it was cold and dark. What a day! Only later did I hear of the horrific deaths on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. I was stunned. My flight was Pan Am 103, whose flight plan was from Frankfurt, over Lockerbie to Heathrow, and on to Detroit. My prayer session that night was longer than usual. My prayers were full of gratitude and deep introspection as I pondered the mission God intended for me.

Patricia Hook Rhyndress Bodi