It was a travel day for us as we headed for Louisiana. Our youngest daughter and her family live there, and it was her turn to have Grammy and Grampy visit for Christmas.

The airports are busy this time of year, so it was no surprise we encountered some unusual events, the first of which was a stuck jetway that couldn’t make it to the plane’s cabin door. The power had quit and they couldn’t fix it. So 20 minutes later, a set of stairs was brought to the plane so we could disembark. That was no big deal unless you wanted to get off and catch a connecting flight.

Once we got into the terminal, it was Chicago O’Hare at its best. We were at Gate 29, and we needed to be at Gate 9. It was busy, not as busy as I’ve seen it in the past, but still a lot of travelers headed home for the holidays.

In our rush to get to the gate, we had not noticed that our two seats were 15B and 32F. Uh oh! Now what? How could that have happened? The tickets were purchased a month ago, and seats were not a problem then. The flight attendant at the gate just shrugged his shoulders and said: “Nothing he could do.”

Sweet! Mrs. D. was not happy and when Mrs. D. is not happy, well you know where this is going. With no options but to get on the plane, we proceeded to our seats, me in 15B, and she in 32F. As we said to each other, I’ll see you in two and half hours, a young woman overheard our conversation.

Mrs. D. had already headed to the back of the plane when the young woman says to me, “Is that your wife?” I said yes, and here is what she said to me: “I would be glad to swap seats with her.” I was surprised and pleased all at the same time.

When a flight attendant was able to make it down the aisle past me, I got her attention and let her know what the lady sitting next to me had offered to do. She politely said, “I will tell your wife as soon as the aisle clears and bring her back here.” Which she did, and the young lady whose name I never got proceeded to the other seat. We thanked this anonymous lady for her kindness and made the trip to our destination.

Now, my point of bringing this to your attention is that even in this world of terrible headlines and political fallout, there is still warmth in the hearts of a lot of people. Much like the kindness found in the generosity of the people in our community, it still exists all over.

It gives one time to reflect. It says there are many things that are not newsworthy but are worth mentioning to each other.

Thank you to that young stranger for reassuring me that showing a little kindness can make another person’s day. I have no updates today, but there will be an update next week.

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SANTA FUND reports are written by coordinator Dave Desjardins, who volunteers call “the head elf.”