Why were they calling my name on the San Fransciso airport speaker?

It was an EARLY morning yesterday. I had one of those 3:00 a.m. alarms go off so I could catch my 5:15 a.m. flight to Houston, Texas. Yeah, back in Texas again.

Flying out here from CA is always an interesting adventure. This trip brought up some emotions too cuz the last time I was here was when my Mom died. I’m here to help out my sister, who has two new puppies and is heading out for a family vacation. Of course, I was happy to come out here to dogsit them for a week to get some good puppy TLC. 

I’m waiting at the airport to board the plane when I refresh the United app and see they upgraded me to first class, seat 1A, right by the door. I’m the first person to board, and the flight attendant helps me stow my backpack because there’s no overhead bin above my seat.

After everyone boards, it’s wheels up for the quick 25-minute flight to San Francisco.

When we land, I’m the first one up cuz my seat is literally by the door of the plane. The flight attendant and I start talking while we wait for the jet bridge. We share a few laughs, and she tells me a little about her work.

Then it’s time to go. I have a short connection, and my next gate is at the other end of the terminal.

I squeeze in a run to the United Club for a quick bite, then have to book it to the Houston gate. I’m walking fast as usual when I get the text that my plane is boarding. No big deal, I’m almost there.

As I get close to the gate, I hear my name on the airport speaker. That was pretty surreal.

My mind starts thinking, “Why are they calling my name? They can’t be closing the gate already, right?”

So I start to run, turn the corner, and rush up to the desk. That’s when I see her, the flight attendant from my last flight.

I’m puzzled why she’s there.

She puts her hand in her pocket and says, “After everyone deplaned, I saw this right below your seat. And when I realized what it was, I knew I needed to bring it to you.”

She holds out her hand.

And in it is my 10-year sobriety coin.

OMG. I had no idea I’d dropped it. I keep it in a special compartment in my backpack, so I’m still not even sure how it happened.

I look at the coin in her hand, then look up at her… just wow.

This gate is very far from where we landed, and she walked all the way over here to deliver it to me. Thank goodness I stopped at the Club because I may have already boarded and missed her.

We stand there for a few seconds, and she tells me her boyfriend has been sober for 16 years. She knows how important this is.

I almost cry.

A stranger tracked me down to give me my 10-year coin, which I didn’t even know I’d lost.

I ask her name. It’s Denise. I give her a hug and tell her how grateful I am for her kindness… knowing how important being sober for 10 years is to me and what this coin means.

When I think about the time I decided to get sober, I remember how scared I was. I was in a bad place emotionally. My partner of 12 years had ended our relationship, and I wasn’t dealing with it in a healthy way. I definitely needed help.

My mom was the person who guided me to get sober. So this year, I wanted a special coin to commemorate those 10 years, what I set my mind to accomplish, and all the people who helped me get here.

I tell Denise she’s a special person and how much I appreciate what she did. Then we part ways.

By the time I get to my sister’s house, I’m still thinking about Denise. As soon as I walk in, my brother-in-law asks how I’m doing with the grief of Mom.

Wow, that hit me more emotionally than I thought it would. The sadness came right up to the surface, and I had to breathe.

Yeah, it’s hard being back here after almost four months. There’s something about the finality of grief. His question brought those memories right back, and combined with the coin, connected me in a deeper way to everything that’s happened this year.

Writing this, I’m still in awe of Denise. She knew the coin mattered because sobriety had touched her life too. What she couldn’t have known was that my mom was the person who guided me to get sober, and this was my first trip back to Houston since she died.

Maybe that’s why seeing it in her hand hit me so hard. It held ten years of my life, my mom’s part in helping me get here, and so much more than Denise could ever have known.

Have you ever had a moment like this… where someone did something incredibly kind, and they had no idea how much it meant because they didn’t know the whole story?

Wow… I don’t think I’ll ever forget Denise.

Hands at your back.
Always,
Xox
Shannon

P.S. I’m all ears if you want to share your story with me. Send me an email or leave me a comment. 🙂

Weekly Photos:

It’s all about puppy sitting in hot, humid Houston, TX, for the next 11 days, a little nature from Redding.

1. Let me introduce you to Murphy and Milo. They are brothers and about 5 months old. My sister adopted them from the shelter. They are a mix of Aussie Shepherd, Border Collie, and corgie. I love Milo’s polka-dotted coat. And Murphy looks so much like a Border Collie/Sheltie.
2. Here’s a cloudy view of flying over San Fransciso. Look at the streak of clouds that are literally covering the Golden Gate Bridge. You can see the edge of the city. It’s barely 6:00 am, so the pic is black and white. I love taking pics from the air. I’ve gotten some pretty good ones of the Golden Gate from the air. I’ll have to share with you. 🙂 
3. This pic is a little blurry as we were walking pretty fast. Murphy is on the outside, and Milo is on the inside. Just getting them used to walking on the leash, fun times. 
4. Look at that fawn. I saw her, her sibling, and her mom while walking the trail before I left for Houston. They are so small, almost looked like a fox from far away. 
5. I just love the clouds from the Sacramento River Trail. You know me, I can take a zillion pics, glad to share some with you. 
6. This was a pretty cool find. I should just have a Heart Rocks website in the wild. Yes, you can find them anywhere. 🙂
7. We’ve had some pretty amazing sunsets from our deck. Yeah, I had to share. 

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