Thursday, January 15, 2009

Talk about your "in-flight entertainment"!


So, I'm somewhere over , oh I don't know, maybe Kansas, just watching the teeny TV on the back of the guy's in front of me headrest. Ellen. Not the guy - they show I was watching..




"We interrupt this program with breaking news"...


I HATE those words....




Now remember, I am in a gazillion-pound metal thingy hurling through atmosphere at 500 miles an hour - with me in the window seat -




The next image I see is an airplane in the Hudson river...between Jersey and Manhattan.




Where I am going...and around the time I would have been there...had my flight not been delayed 2 hours..because of snow in New Jersey...




I watched, dumbfounded, as people stood on the wing of the plane, as I'm certain many of you were as well, thinking about how cold it must be for them, but thankful, none the less, that there were no causalities..Thank you Lord...




Calls were going our from fellow passengers to their families, letting them know, reassuring them, that it was NOT our flight...




The young guy in front of me happened to be a New york City Firefighter...wearing a shirt on remembrance for 2 of his fellow firefighters who had died in the line of duty in 2007. He told me if he hadn't traveled today, he would have been on-scene as it was in his jurisdiction. He seemed very concerned.




We flew over the Hudson river...and everyone was smiling, knowing by that time no one had been lost.




We, as Americans, seem to grow closer in times of trouble. Proud of our firefighters, thankful for the skill and strength of our pilots and care of the flight crews, the compassion of the first aid workers and harbor patrol.




I am happily snuggled here in New Jersey, having read Ella a bed time story and "borrowing" time on my son-in-law's computer.




Have a safe, dry and warm tomorrow - even if the warmth is only in your heart for the kindness of strangers...




-me

15 comments:

diane b said...

We are just getting the news now about that plane. How lucky that no one was killed. You must have been a tad concerned on your flight. Just what you want to hear when you are flying. Glad you are safe and sound. Have a good time with your family.

Betty said...

Too scary for words! Glad you arrived safely and had time to read to Miss Ella...I know she loves you so much!

Betty said...

Too scary for words! Glad you arrived safely and had time to read to Miss Ella...I know she loves you so much!

Betty said...

Sorry for the double comment...I hit the publish button twice...got twitchy fingers today...good thing I'm not a gunfighter in the Old West!

The Feathered Nest said...

O.My.Goodness Colleen! I can't imagine how you felt being in the air and hearing about that!!! I'm so very glad you are safe and sound with your precious granddaughter and family ~ what a blessing to find out that everyone survived that landing....miracles do happen don't they? Enjoy the love and the birthday party!! xxoo, Dawn

RoeH said...

I love to fly but I don't want to hear about another airplane crash while I AM flying in the air. Hope you have a wonderful time there. Go down to the Hudson River and take pictures for the blog. Aw....come on...do it. :)

Shari from Big Yellow Farmhouse said...

Oh my, I would have been so spooked hearing that news on a plane! Glad you made it safely to your destination. I think we're all breathing a collective sign of relief knowing that all those passengers on the other flight survived. Amazing!

♥ Boomer ♥ said...

I had heard that the news was carried onto flights in the sky. How frightening!

We on the ground were absolutely pinned down in front of the TV, holding our breath, praying.

Glad you stayed safe. And for the 150 passengers on the Hudson Miracle Flight.

Beemoosie said...

You just made an amazing story even more amazing!! I can't imagine being in your seat at that time!
~Blessings!

Sherry said...

Glad your safe.

That plane was in the hands of God!

Jan said...

That must have been frightening to say the least! So happy you are safe and warm and with your loved ones!

Julie said...

My husband and I had just boarded a plane leaving San Francisco toward Minneapolis then home. He had just bought a newspaper and showed me the headline that was about the plane over Hawaii that had a big hole in the fuselage and people were sucked out. I wanted to run off the plane, screaming and crying. But I stayed on.

Enjoy your trip!

I have given you an award - please drop by when you can.

Laurie and Chris said...

So happy you are safe and sound with your loved ones. Enjoy your time with them.

Barb said...

Glad you are safe and thank God everyone on the other flight is safe.....Barb

Neabear said...

I saw the news about this while I was at work. It came on the TV in the room of the patient I was working with at the time.

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