• this world is not my home

My family and I were flying over the Mediterranean Sea yesterday on an airplane filled with friends we hadn't met yet from Turkish, Arab and Jewish backgrounds. I'm pretty sure there were less than ten Westerners on the filled-to-capacity airplane, and that includes the five members of my family.

My youngest child (age two) was sitting next to my wife on the plane, and the other two were across the aisle with me. A random, but kind-looking stranger was sitting on the other side of the child.

About an hour into a five hour flight, he got sick. I mean really sick. We are talking vomiting all over himself, my wife, the kind stranger next to him, and pouring down between the seats and soaking the shoes of the man behind him sick.

The reaction of the people on the plane made me cry inside, but not for expected reasons. Their kindness and grace was overwhelming. The man whose shoes were soaked immediately rose to get towels from the bathroom to help clean up. As my wife grabbed an airplane blanket to try to stem the tide, the kind stranger next to her grabbed part of it and helped her contain the flow of vomit as much as possible. Others rose and brought a flight attendant. Everybody moved out of the aisle as I searched for our carry on bag to get a change of clothes for the boy. There was not a single person who reacted in any way other than patient, kind, helpful, sympathetic or gracious.

I love traveling in the company of Middle Easterners.

Sorry your kid got sick, but at least it was only one.  It was great that everyone was so understanding.

Thanks. You're right, it could have been a lot worse. The other two kids are still healthy, so it looks like we dodged a bullet there. I'm certain it would have been a lot more difficult with a different set of airplane passengers, too. The people on the plane that day were as wonderful as could be.

This is not the first time I've heard of compassion like that while traveling to Morocco.  A friend of mine who lived here for 7 years has flown in and out many times and said that she has had nothing but positive experiences on the plane. 

Hearing stories like this makes me wonder what I would do in this situation.  It makes me think, understand, and grow.