The Sack LunchesI put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.'Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan. After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base.' His friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.' Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?''Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is your thanks..' After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars. Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked. I hoped he wasn't looking for me, but I noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row, he stopped, smiled, held out his hand and said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seatbelt, I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier, and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers. Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.When we landed, I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars! Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base.I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five=dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich.God Bless You.' Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little... A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.' May God give you the strength and courage to pass this along to everyone on your email buddy list.... I JUST DID Let us pray... Prayer chain for our Military... Don't break it! Please send this on after a short prayer.. Prayer for our soldiers Don't break it! Prayer: 'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need.Amen.' Prayer Request: When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our troops around the world. There is nothing attached. Just send this to people in your address book. Do not let it stop with you. Of all the gifts you could give a Marine, Soldier, Sailor, Airman, & others deployed in harm's way, prayer is the very best one. GOD BLESS YOU FOR PASSING IT ON!
North of Boston MA
Check your Driver's LicenseI already removed mine. I suggest you all do the same. Now you can see anyone's Driver's License on the Internet, including your own! I just searched for mine and there it was...picture and all! Thanks Homeland Security! Go to the web site, and check it out. It's unbelievable!!! Just enter your name, city and state to see if yours is on file. After your license comes on the screen, click the box marked "Please Remove." This will remove it from public viewing, but not from law enforcement. Please notify all your friends so they can protect themselves too. Believe me they will thank you for it. http://www.license.shorturl.com/
Diane Morgan:Check your Driver's License
Can't catch me on this one Diane......... Already fell for it a while back thanks to a devious SIL.
Griffin, GA
Diane
You are a bad, bad girl......got me. ROFLOL
Vinton, Virginia
Diane,
What a great story............... My son is a Marine ... He has had 3 combat deployments to Iraq and afghainastan He leaves again in a few weeks. Next week I will travel to see him and his wife and thier newborn son.
He has told us of numerous times someone has bought him dinner or lunch. It brings tears to your eyes. The kindness of people. The last time he flew to California they moved him to first class. It makes you thank God for good people.
Keep him and our other troops in your prayers. I am glad I have my quilting and this site to keep my mind off things :)
Deb
Your son and his family will be in my prayers. God Bless him for fighting for freedom.
Diane Morgan:The Sack Lunches
Diane God Bless you for sending this and I will be sending to all in my address book.
Millbury, MA
Got me too Diane, for the second time!!!!!!! First time Nanc sent it to me about 6 mos. ago. If I get it again I'll probably fall for it a third time.
jodekema: My son is a Marine
Deb, our troops are always in my prayers. What is your sons name, I'd like to pray for him personally. Please extend my sincere gratitude to him for defending his country and keeping us all out of harms way. God Bless him and his entire family.
You got me Diane. But it is unbelievable, what one can find on line sometimes. I haven't tried it recently, because I think social security took it off, but for a while one could go to SSDI for social security death index, and get the social security numbers of those who are deceased. The purpose was to expose those who were using the numbers of deceased persons, but I think instead people were going there to get numbers to use!
Patti
Chiliwist Valley
Nice try Diane. I didn't fall for this one. I know what's at the end. LOL.
diane, do you lay awake at night figuring out how to get us? : ) gini
gini in north idaho
Thank you Nana and Marie I appreciate all prayers. I know if I can't be there to take care of him God will. His name is Staff Seargent Matthew Kinsey. Thank you for adding him to your prayer lists. Some of the hardest times in life is when you have to turn it over to God because you can't do anything about the situation. I pray for them all. It always surprises me how young they all look. They have thier entire life ahead of them. But he wants to go and do his part it amazes me.
Thanks for the prayers
Now we need a joke to lighten it up again :) and I don't think I have any good semi clean ones lol
Where is Diane when you need her!!!
F A M I L YI ran into a stranger as he passed by,"Oh excuse me please" was my reply.He said, "Please excuse me too;I wasn't watching for you."We were very polite, this stranger and I.We went on our way and we said goodbye.But at home a different story is told,How we treat our loved ones, young and old.Later that day, cooking the evening meal,My son stood beside me very still.When I turned, I nearly knocked him down."Move out of the way," I said with a frown.He walked away, his little heart broken.I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.While I lay awake in bed,God's still small voice came to me and said,"While dealing with a stranger,common courtesy you use,but the family you love, you seem to abuse.Go and look on the kitchen floor,You'll find some flowers there by the door.Those are the flowers he brought for you.He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."By this time, I felt very small,And now my tears began to fall.I quietly went and knelt by his bed;"Wake up, little one, wake up," I said."Are these the flowers you picked for me?"He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay.I love you anyway."I said, "Son, I love you too,and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."FAMILYAre you aware that if we died tomorrow, the companythat we are working for could easily replace us ina matter of days.But the family we left behind will feel the lossfor the rest of their lives.And come to think of it, we pour ourselves moreinto work than into our own family,an unwise investment indeed,don't you think?So what is behind the story?Do you know what the word FAMILY means?FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU
Oh Diane, you got me good. ROFLOL.
[Ava, Missouri