PLEASE, DONT BURY MY FATHER WITHOUT ME! I was on a flight earlier this week. Two rows behind me a woman was sobbing uncontrollably. No one seemed to notice as fellow passengers busily scrounged around looking for scarce overhead locker space. What could be wrong I thought? Had she just said her goodbyes to a loved one? What was it that was causing so much grief? I didnt have to wait long for an answer. Suddenly, a heart wrenching cry filled the cabin -- please, dont bury my father without me. The woman was speaking into her mobile phone and pleading with the person on the other end of the line. She explained that she was already on board a flight and only an hour away. Ahh, a death in the family. It now all made sense. Questions raced through my mind - what kind of father was he? What kind of legacy had he left behind? And, why was someone somewhere trying to bury this poor little womans father before she had had an opportunity to pay her respects? The soft plaintive sobs continued in the back as passengers continued to settle into their seats. I looked around and thought to myself, What a paradox! What a study in contrasts! Across the cabin I noticed oblivious business acquaintances loudly high-fiving one another; couples leaned into each other whispering sweet nothings; and as all this went on, a lonely distraught woman in seat 3A, continued to sob over the loss of a loved one At 30,000 feet, there was no cessation of the sobs. My heart ached for this unknown woman. What can I do? What can say? What hope can I give?, I thought. Finally I got out of my seat and asked, the passenger in the aisle if I could scoot into the middle. Seconds later, I was introducing myself to this disconsolate passenger. I told her I had overheard her telephone conversation just before take off. Tears, large drops, rolled down her face. I asked if her father was being buried without her because he was a Muslim (tradition demanding that the deceased be buried before sundown). She nodded in the affirmative. I asked if there would be someone at the airport to pick her up. She said there was. I told her no one could ever feel her pain the way she was at that moment, but that there was only one person who could. God Himself, who gave up His only son. I promised her that God would help wipe away her tears, heal her broken heart, and grant her comfort. Her eyes glimmered with hope and she nodded an I believe. Not long after, we touched down. She hurried out of terminal. I could not help but pray that - 1. God, who is a God of comfort and who specialises in wiping away tears, would visit this distraught soul in a powerful unmistakable manner. 2. That through the love of her earthly father she would come to know the infinite love of her heavenly father, and 3. That she would have an opportunity to say a proper goodbye before sunset.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 07:38:23 +0000