One of the pitfalls of being old and traveling a lot is that sometimes I forget where exactly I’m going.  I make reservations way in advance, put stuff in a file folder and then head out when the time comes.  All that to say that on my way out to Richmond, VA to do a Doable Evangelism Seminar I changed planes in Atlanta, GA.  I didn’t have a lot of time to get to my connecting flight, and when I checked the monitor I discovered that I needed to be in a completely different terminal to get it.  I rushed off in the direction the signs indicated for terminal B.  As I came upon the rail system that would take me there, suddenly I remembered I had looked up the terminal for a flight to Baltimore, MD (next month’s DE Seminar).  I froze in my tracks…not wanting to get on a train if it wasn’t going to where my next flight was departing from.  I must have looked a tad frantic in the sea of humanity that was rushing to the open doors of the train.  That’s when I heard a still, small voice speaking to me.

No, not THAT ONE. It was a woman’s voice, saying, “Where are you wanting to go?”  I had to look around, and then down a little, to find where the voice was coming from (she was pretty short).  A beautiful smile greeted me, and I was so desperate for help that all I said was, “Richmond.”  She smiled politely and then said, “What terminal are you trying to get to?”  Oh…I guess I need to go THERE first.

“Uh…I don’t know.  I thought terminal B, but then I remembered I was headed to Richmond, not Baltimore, and now I don’t have a clue.”  She must have really thought I was wrecked in the head, now.

“You’ll want terminal B, just one stop from here on that train.”  She was smiling again, like an angel.

“Thank you SO much!” I gushed as I ran for the slowly closing train door.  

She wasn’t an airport employee (at least she didn’t have a badge or uniform).  She wasn’t anyone official, as far as I could tell.  She just NOTICED me in a sea of people rushing off to their next flight.  She was kind, and gracious, and beautiful.  I felt cared for, respected, honored, and most of all…HELPED by this angel of light.  I don’t know why she risked offering me help, but I am really thankful that she did.  

As I sit in my hotel room getting ready for the big weekend ahead, I just wanted to record for all time this small act of kindness that got me here on time.  It was a great reminder of how it feels to be on the other end of an ordinary attempt.  And I’ll probably share the story with the Richmond folks this Saturday.  

Wow…

-randy siever