I love to travel. If I had a job that paid for me to fly all the time, I’d love it. I love the frenzy of the TSA line. I love how each airport looks both exactly the same and extremely different. I love the little bags of almonds. I love it all.
One of the main reasons I adore traveling, besides going to someplace new, is people-watching. I enjoy watching sleepy families, their children still in pajamas with fuzzy feet, killing time at their gate before the flight. Or I watch an attentive daughter pushing her mother in a wheelchair through the airport, stopping here and there to make sure her mother is comfortable and content.
One reason I take pleasure in all the people-watching is that these are people from all over the country. Sometimes, they are from all over the world. With our community connections becoming so small and fragmented, the airport is one of the only places that I get to witness so many people outside of my circle. These are not people who shop at my grocery store or work out at my gym. I need a bigger worldview.
I watch how the families love and care for each other: the father who goes out to get coffee for the whole crew or the grandchild who fixes the bags, just so, so his grandpa can elevate his swollen feet upon them. As I watch them love each other, it occurs to me just how much God loves each of them, just as he loves me.
Sometimes I witness hardship too. Once in the women’s bathroom, I heard a four-year-old girl pepper her mother with questions the mother was too weary to answer. “Are we going back? Are we going to see Grandma again soon? When are we going to see Daddy?”
The mother answered the questions patiently and sweetly, but it was clear something bad had happened. Either they were escaping an abusive situation, or someone had died.
As I met them out at the sinks while we all washed our hands, I said to the mother, “You are a very good mommy.” She burst into tears.
“How do you know?” she asked.
I told her I heard how patient and kind she was to her daughter. I looked in her eyes, and she knew I was reading between the lines into something her daughter could not sense.
“You will get through this,” I said, not knowing what to say but knowing I needed to say something.
She nodded in agreement. “You don’t know how much I needed to hear that.” She took my hand in hers and pressed it tightly.
Airports are a sort of liminal space, where all of humanity is pressed together—sometimes for vacations and something fun but often for funerals or moving away from home. Sometimes we are on our way to say goodbye to someone we once loved. I believe in this liminal space God meets us.
God is there, amid the conveyer belts, the fluorescent lighting, and artificial air. He wants to meet us in every worry and care. May we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
Thanks Shemaiah. Airports, Seaports, Railway stations, and Bus stops – People have a reason to be there. May each traveler be blessed with inner peace and strength for the journey ahead.
Thank you for such a touching interaction with that young mother. As you just remnded us, not all travel is for fun and Disneyworld. Bless the families that travel, for their patience with small children. And, Lord, give us the understanding and patience we need for some cranky and tired young travelers who may sit right behind us!
You really tapped into a vein of common (meaning shared) experience of loving among many of us with this, Shemaiah. Perhaps this encountering of God in others is part of St. Ignatius’ encouragement to us to use our imaginations as we journey – not so much to “find” God, but to see him where he always is and has always been: in everything! Thank you.
Beautiful article and fantastic insights Shemaiah, particularly considering the stress, hassle, and worry usually associated with airports. I love your quotes “You will get through this” and “God wants to meet us in every worry and care”; we need to remember this always. Many thanks. Best,
You are beautiful, Shemaiah! Thank you for this essay/reflection. My eyes got moist, too!!
I fly across the country, or Europe, to see my children or relatives, quite a bit. I ALWAYS take
a book to read and I NEVER did,Helga so far I love to watch this beautiful kaleidoscope of people,
especially since I now live in a rural area with far fewer of them. A gift – once I have found
the right gate to go on !!! 🙂
Your reflection hit me on several levels. I had pretty much given up on the “hassle” of airport travel, but yes, God can do his magic there as well! Also, we really need to be attuned and mindful of those around us, and then to have the courage to say a word or two of recognition in what the Holy Spirit is telling us. Thank you!!
Thank you for this article. It was sweet in the best ways and touched my human heart.
Thank you Shemaiah for a beautiful reflection. I shed a few happy tears. You are wise and kind.
Great article and great intervention with the mother.
How beautiful! I love to travel but I don’t get to do it as frequently as I would like. I have started people-watching at the grocery store while I am waiting in line to check out. I love to see the guy still in his working clothes picking some chocolates and flowers, I guess to go see his girlfriend after a hard day of work. The parents willing to throw and extra treat for their child that is patiently waiting in line. The elderly couple getting their groceries and a tub of ice cream. The young cashier trying her best to be friendly and kind to the customers. The sweet cashier that has been there for so long and still calls everyone “sweetie”. People are beautiful, each person has been lovingly made by God, and sometimes we don’t take time to appreciate each other’s beauty. Thank you for sharing your kindness.
Blanca! Yes! I have a whole chapter on this in my upcoming book: Finding Joy (which I think is the presence of God…).in COSTCO! I love Costco for all the reasons you shared and more.
Wonderful! I will be in the lookout for it 🙂 Blessings
Thank you for this beautiful reflection.
I recently accompanied my daughter with her two cats to Kennedy Airport as she left home her home (and her father) in Brooklyn to move to Seattle, of all places. The two cats were not very cooperative, to say the least. I sent her your reflection to remind her that we see God in both joyous occasions and stressful circumstances.
If you run into a preschool teacher named Jenna who works in Discovery Park, please tell her that I love her and that God is with her always.
Oh my goodness Joseph! She is not too far from me! I attend St James if she comes that way. And yes, I was thinking that not all times at the airport are vacations and work…sometimes it is saying goodbye.
Beautiful reminder of all in the family of God and our connecting