Resilience in the skies
Resilience in the Skies
September 11, 2001 – 24 years ago continues to fade into a distant memory for some and for others, it remains a life altering day that will live in infamy.
In a compilation of 9/11 Poems, Prose and Prayers by Flight Attendants entitled, “Wings of Courage”, I found two reflections that speak to us today. The first was simply a short description by a flight attendant on her first day back in the air following that tragic day: “There was an eerie kind of silence…during the entire flight. People were so quiet and kept to themselves, often crying silently in their seats, not looking around or even getting up to use the bathroom.”
The second contribution to the Wings of Courage I would like to highlight raised the question everyone in the aviation industry wrestled with in the wake of 9/11. A veteran flight attendant who shared her personal account as follows: “After five days off, the week’s events weighed heavily on my heart and mind as I prepared my things for the next work day – a flight to Los Angeles and back. The hardest part about returning to the skies came when I was tucking my 11-year-old son into bed. Holding back my tears, I tried to be strong for him when I had to answer his blunt question, “Mommy, can you get a different job?”
I cannot think of what would have happened if everyone got a different job – our world would have been different, the aviation industry would have been different or non-existent. So, today, I applaud and celebrate every aviation worker, from the control towers to the construction trenches – from above the wing to below the wing, for everyone is critical to the industry and they make it soar again…and for this, I am most grateful!
There is a portion of scripture that inspires such resilience and I pray that we continue to remember 9/11, reflect, grow and inspire others within the aviation and beyond: “Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
I thank God for the blessed memory of the flight attendants and all aviation workers lost and changed forever in 9/11, and for the courage of everyone today. May God fly with you! Amen
In a compilation of 9/11 Poems, Prose and Prayers by Flight Attendants entitled, “Wings of Courage”, I found two reflections that speak to us today. The first was simply a short description by a flight attendant on her first day back in the air following that tragic day: “There was an eerie kind of silence…during the entire flight. People were so quiet and kept to themselves, often crying silently in their seats, not looking around or even getting up to use the bathroom.”
The second contribution to the Wings of Courage I would like to highlight raised the question everyone in the aviation industry wrestled with in the wake of 9/11. A veteran flight attendant who shared her personal account as follows: “After five days off, the week’s events weighed heavily on my heart and mind as I prepared my things for the next work day – a flight to Los Angeles and back. The hardest part about returning to the skies came when I was tucking my 11-year-old son into bed. Holding back my tears, I tried to be strong for him when I had to answer his blunt question, “Mommy, can you get a different job?”
I cannot think of what would have happened if everyone got a different job – our world would have been different, the aviation industry would have been different or non-existent. So, today, I applaud and celebrate every aviation worker, from the control towers to the construction trenches – from above the wing to below the wing, for everyone is critical to the industry and they make it soar again…and for this, I am most grateful!
There is a portion of scripture that inspires such resilience and I pray that we continue to remember 9/11, reflect, grow and inspire others within the aviation and beyond: “Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
I thank God for the blessed memory of the flight attendants and all aviation workers lost and changed forever in 9/11, and for the courage of everyone today. May God fly with you! Amen
The Rev. Romeo K. Dabee
JFK Airport Community Minister/Chaplain
JFK Airport Community Minister/Chaplain
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