newunfoldment
April-26th-2008, 12:25 AM
“Hello Goodbye”
By
Dee Mahuvawalla
Australia’s recent slice of life-TV-show, Hello Goodbye, had been hosted by a young lady, going around interviewing people, sharing all their emotions and dramas, their tears and excitement, taking place at the departure-halls and arrival-gates, at the Sydney International Airport.
Every passenger had a tale to tell. This moving program has been the boarding pass to all the stories of love, sorrow, family ties, friendships, separations, reunions, and extraordinary accounts of hardships uncovered by the host, as she randomly approached and interviewed people, from all walks of life and cultures to unpack their emotional baggage, in these arrival and departure airport lounges.
Watching this TV show each week reminded me of my own personal experiences, I went through as a wife of an employee of an International airline in Bombay, India.
Saying these Hellos and Goodbyes to my husband, as he departed and arrived from his flights, were very emotional and filled with apprehension for me. This took place week after week for years, till we migrated to Australia in 1989. Things started being easier, as I pursued my study of Christian Science which teaches us “Where God is we can meet, and where God is we can never part.” [MY131:20]
When Christian Science came into our lives, Mrs .Eddy’s reminder in our textbook Science and Health, in the chapter on Marriage, was most appropriate and timely for me. She writes, “Spiritually to understand that there is but one creator, God, unfolds all creation, confirms the Scriptures, brings the sweet assurance of no parting, no pain, and of man deathless and perfect and eternal”. [69:13]
As an In-flight Service Crew member, my husband has shared with me some very exciting adventures of protection and courage, throughout his years of dedicated and loyal service to the airline; serving thousands of passengers, going that extra mile to make their trip comfortable, memorable, and safe, during every flight he operated.
One could write volumes about these flight-adventures and experiences, but one such experience stands out for me to share here. During one of his routine flights, my husband encountered a very strange and challenging situation, in meeting an emergency that arose during the flight. It involved helping out a young couple on their honeymoon, traveling on his flight. Inadvertently, they had kept all their important documents, money etc in an airsickness bag, located in their front seat pocket of the aircraft during their flight, leaving it behind on the aircraft during their transit halt.
On returning from their transit stop, at take-off point, they realized that the ground staff had serviced the aircraft, and their documents and valuables kept in the airsickness bag were gone.
As the aircraft began to taxi to the take off point, the couple informed the Flight Purser (my husband), of their loss. This was reported to the Commander of the flight. However the aircraft had the take-off clearance, hence it was not possible to return to base. By now the honeymoon couple were crying as well as in a state of shock and panic. My husband reassured them that all will be well, and went to the rear of the cabin and quietly held on to the fact that the situation was now in God’s hands. Divine Mind, God, knows best. He held fast to Mrs Eddy’s words, “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need. It is not well to imagine that Jesus demonstrated the divine power to heal only for a select number or for a limited period of time, since to all mankind and in every hour, divine Love supplies all good.” [S&H 494:10]
This had a great spiritual impact on this crisis. The Cabin Crew went out of their way to explain and comfort the honeymoon couple. That human need right then, was for the honeymoon couple to get back their travel documents (passports and tickets), and their traveller’s cheques to continue their planned trip to Singapore.
The engines screamed full power for it’s take off, and then suddenly the engines were turned down and the aircraft returned to base. The aircraft came to a halt and was parked on a special holding bay. The ground-engineers came on board. An announcement was made to the passengers that due to a technical problem there would be a slight delay for an engine check, and the passengers to remain on board the aircraft.
Taking advantage of this delay, my husband saw the Cabin Servicing building about 100 feet away, from the parked aircraft. He ran to the area where all cabin refuse collected from flights, was being sorted out by the servicing staff. The staff would sit around on a carpeted area with a huge pile of folders, magazines, air sickness bags, and brochures sorting and recycling for the next outbound flight. As soon as the staff saw my husband’s anxious face, questions came from all directions, ..”What’s happened?” My husband quickly explained the urgency of the situation and after a short rummaging of the airsickness bags; the missing one was located, with the contents all intact.
My husband made a quick retreat back to the parked aircraft, and ran up the stepladder amidst the crowd of anxious crew and passengers. Everyone’s prayers were duly and fully answered. The airsickness bag with all the contents intact was returned to their rightful owners. All this took place in just a short while. The checks on the aircraft were completed, the aircraft doors were closed, and within a few minutes, they were all ready for take-off.
This incident took place pre-9/11 when security was not so strict, and this situation was a one-off; the need was met in the nick of time.
Whether one calls it a coincidence or synchronicity of events, divine Love, God, met this human need. For the honeymoon couple it was the best trip they ever had and for my grateful husband it was just another interesting flight, and proof of God’s care.
I am so grateful to God for giving us Christian Science that we as a family can apply and demonstrate to meet every human need.
The verse of my very favourite hymn # 30 entitled LOVE by Mary Baker Eddy sums up this story of love and loyalty expressed by my husband.
“Thou to whose power our hope we give,
Free us from human strife.
Fed by Thy love divine we live,
For Love alone is Life;
And life most sweet, as heart to heart
Speaks kindly when we meet and part”
By
Dee Mahuvawalla
Australia’s recent slice of life-TV-show, Hello Goodbye, had been hosted by a young lady, going around interviewing people, sharing all their emotions and dramas, their tears and excitement, taking place at the departure-halls and arrival-gates, at the Sydney International Airport.
Every passenger had a tale to tell. This moving program has been the boarding pass to all the stories of love, sorrow, family ties, friendships, separations, reunions, and extraordinary accounts of hardships uncovered by the host, as she randomly approached and interviewed people, from all walks of life and cultures to unpack their emotional baggage, in these arrival and departure airport lounges.
Watching this TV show each week reminded me of my own personal experiences, I went through as a wife of an employee of an International airline in Bombay, India.
Saying these Hellos and Goodbyes to my husband, as he departed and arrived from his flights, were very emotional and filled with apprehension for me. This took place week after week for years, till we migrated to Australia in 1989. Things started being easier, as I pursued my study of Christian Science which teaches us “Where God is we can meet, and where God is we can never part.” [MY131:20]
When Christian Science came into our lives, Mrs .Eddy’s reminder in our textbook Science and Health, in the chapter on Marriage, was most appropriate and timely for me. She writes, “Spiritually to understand that there is but one creator, God, unfolds all creation, confirms the Scriptures, brings the sweet assurance of no parting, no pain, and of man deathless and perfect and eternal”. [69:13]
As an In-flight Service Crew member, my husband has shared with me some very exciting adventures of protection and courage, throughout his years of dedicated and loyal service to the airline; serving thousands of passengers, going that extra mile to make their trip comfortable, memorable, and safe, during every flight he operated.
One could write volumes about these flight-adventures and experiences, but one such experience stands out for me to share here. During one of his routine flights, my husband encountered a very strange and challenging situation, in meeting an emergency that arose during the flight. It involved helping out a young couple on their honeymoon, traveling on his flight. Inadvertently, they had kept all their important documents, money etc in an airsickness bag, located in their front seat pocket of the aircraft during their flight, leaving it behind on the aircraft during their transit halt.
On returning from their transit stop, at take-off point, they realized that the ground staff had serviced the aircraft, and their documents and valuables kept in the airsickness bag were gone.
As the aircraft began to taxi to the take off point, the couple informed the Flight Purser (my husband), of their loss. This was reported to the Commander of the flight. However the aircraft had the take-off clearance, hence it was not possible to return to base. By now the honeymoon couple were crying as well as in a state of shock and panic. My husband reassured them that all will be well, and went to the rear of the cabin and quietly held on to the fact that the situation was now in God’s hands. Divine Mind, God, knows best. He held fast to Mrs Eddy’s words, “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need. It is not well to imagine that Jesus demonstrated the divine power to heal only for a select number or for a limited period of time, since to all mankind and in every hour, divine Love supplies all good.” [S&H 494:10]
This had a great spiritual impact on this crisis. The Cabin Crew went out of their way to explain and comfort the honeymoon couple. That human need right then, was for the honeymoon couple to get back their travel documents (passports and tickets), and their traveller’s cheques to continue their planned trip to Singapore.
The engines screamed full power for it’s take off, and then suddenly the engines were turned down and the aircraft returned to base. The aircraft came to a halt and was parked on a special holding bay. The ground-engineers came on board. An announcement was made to the passengers that due to a technical problem there would be a slight delay for an engine check, and the passengers to remain on board the aircraft.
Taking advantage of this delay, my husband saw the Cabin Servicing building about 100 feet away, from the parked aircraft. He ran to the area where all cabin refuse collected from flights, was being sorted out by the servicing staff. The staff would sit around on a carpeted area with a huge pile of folders, magazines, air sickness bags, and brochures sorting and recycling for the next outbound flight. As soon as the staff saw my husband’s anxious face, questions came from all directions, ..”What’s happened?” My husband quickly explained the urgency of the situation and after a short rummaging of the airsickness bags; the missing one was located, with the contents all intact.
My husband made a quick retreat back to the parked aircraft, and ran up the stepladder amidst the crowd of anxious crew and passengers. Everyone’s prayers were duly and fully answered. The airsickness bag with all the contents intact was returned to their rightful owners. All this took place in just a short while. The checks on the aircraft were completed, the aircraft doors were closed, and within a few minutes, they were all ready for take-off.
This incident took place pre-9/11 when security was not so strict, and this situation was a one-off; the need was met in the nick of time.
Whether one calls it a coincidence or synchronicity of events, divine Love, God, met this human need. For the honeymoon couple it was the best trip they ever had and for my grateful husband it was just another interesting flight, and proof of God’s care.
I am so grateful to God for giving us Christian Science that we as a family can apply and demonstrate to meet every human need.
The verse of my very favourite hymn # 30 entitled LOVE by Mary Baker Eddy sums up this story of love and loyalty expressed by my husband.
“Thou to whose power our hope we give,
Free us from human strife.
Fed by Thy love divine we live,
For Love alone is Life;
And life most sweet, as heart to heart
Speaks kindly when we meet and part”