reprinted from December 2010 “On Final”
Who is the most famous passenger you have flown with? A movie star? An athlete? For me, it was someone totally different. And because I am not a very religious person, my experience was even more memorable.
It was May of 1997. After a weeklong business trip to Italy, my wife Patty and I had pooled our Delta air miles for a ride back to New York in the first-class section of a 767. It was a beautiful day as we boarded the Boeing for the 10-hour flight to the US. In first, there were about 15 seats and our two were near the forward bulkhead. As we began to stow our belongings, I heard someone comment, “Oh my god, she’s on the airplane!” From my window seat, I looked around to see who “she” was. All I could see was a tiny, frail elderly woman sitting at the opposite window with her feet elevated on a small stool. She was dressed like a nun with an oxygen cannula on her face.
And then it dawned on me. It was Mother Teresa! Only months before, she was seriously ill, and against her doctor’s orders, she was traveling to the United States to receive a congressional gold medal. The cabin was full of doctors, staff, and her personal assistant. Patty and I were about the only passengers not wearing a habit.
My eyes were transfixed on this very special person sitting only a few feet from me. And then she waved. To me. So, I waved back. And then she waved back. I now had an official relationship with Mother Teresa. The flight attendants swarmed around her. They were on edge. With her failing health, I imagined they were horrified about the possibility of her not surviving the journey. Within minutes after takeoff, her personal assistant walked over and handed me a business card that she had signed. “God bless you” it read.
As the hours passed by, I continued to glance her way. And each time she would wave. She wasn’t waving at anyone else. Why me, I wondered. After another hour, her assistant leaned over and suggested that I walk over to her seat and that she would bless me. Did I mention that I am not a very religious person? Hell, I was now! Mother Teresa was going to bless me.
Cautiously, as I feared this might be some kind of cruel trick and lightning would strike me, I approached her seat. She smiled and motioned me to kneel. Then she touched my head, blessed me, and gave me a tiny pewter Madonna.
Now this was really cool and evidently all included in Delta’s first-class ticket. However, during this entire experience, Patty had been in the lady’s room. Upon arriving back, she couldn’t help but notice my pewter Madonna. Knowing that I did not have a pewter Madonna collection, she asked where in the world I got it. As nonchalantly as humanly possible, I said, “I worked a deal with Mother Teresa. Go over and kneel in front of her and she will bless you and give you one of these.”
Now, Patty and I have been married for 38 years. She knows I am full of crap. She sat next to me for almost ten minutes before summoning up all the courage possible to make her move. And just like I knew what I was talking about, Mother Teresa did the exact same thing for her. We were both in heaven so to speak.
Word spread because the captain soon left the cockpit for his blessing, too. I’ll bet he made the best landing of his career at JFK.
Fly safe.
