Thanks to the Kilted

[mbhandy]

Just got this from my Aunt and it reminds me of all you guys on this forum:

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience!

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!" Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor." Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory -- he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes.

I am sending you this as my way of thanking you for your part in packing my parachute. And I hope you will send it on to those who have helped pack yours!

Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word. Maybe this could explain it: When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do -- you forward jokes.

And to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get? A forwarded joke.

So my friend, next time when you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile, just helping you pack your parachute

Or advice with a Kilt Question

MrBill

[davedove]

That's something to really think about. It's especially important in military life, but imagine how often your day is better because of someone just doing their job well. How about the bored auto worker, who still makes sure that bolt is tightened so that your steering doesn't go out or your brakes fail at a critical moment? Or the restaurant worker who takes extra care to make sure his hands are clean, thereby preventing an illness? Or even the bank employee who makes sure the direct deposit routine has run correctly so you have access to your funds? So many of us (yes, I include myself) get so tied up with our lives, that we forget how many people make our daily lives run smoothly, most of the time without meeting us.

[macwilkin]

Ironically, I just discovered this quote from Theodore Roosevelt:

The greatest men are those who would willingly serve in the shadows. The least and the last are the first and foremost.

**Thread moved to "off-topic" area.

Cheers,

Todd

[Mr. Kilt]

Excellent post, a real "make you think" topic.

[Eujeankilt]

Thank you for this post. It is something worth forwarding to people I care about.

Dale

[Southern Breeze]

Excellant post, I'll be forwarding it.

[GlassMan]

Excellent story and one that needs to be heard more often, especially here in the DC area.

And I'm reminded of Plato who also told us that the men who you would most like to rule are the ones who want that power the least, while those who thirst after that position and that power are the ones who are least deserving of it.

[Graham]

Thanks for sharing that, I am preaching on "Thankfulness" this weekend, you've given me an excellent opening.

[bubba]

The story of Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus is a good example of what a leader should be, but rarely is.

[auld argonian]

Excellent story and one that needs to be heard more often, especially here in the DC area.

And I'm reminded of Plato who also told us that the men who you would most like to rule are the ones who want that power the least, while those who thirst after that position and that power are the ones who are least deserving of it.

So now that West Wing is being cancelled does that mean that Martin Sheen will run for president?

Best

AA