Volume XX, Number 39 (Issue 991) September 26, 2022
Making a Difference Award for September 2022
This month’s Making a Difference Award recognizes a long-time friend and former colleague, Roy Seifert, who earned the distinction by going above and beyond for a total stranger who needed a helping hand.
As Roy tells it, a few years ago he was flying home to Charlotte following a business trip. Boarding in Atlanta for his final leg, he found himself seated in First Class thanks to a courtesy upgrade. Just as he was settling in, a flight attendant came on the intercom to ask if anyone on the plane was fluent in Spanish. He raised hid hand and said his Spanish wasn’t fluent, but maybe he could help.” The flight attendant explained there was a passenger in the back who did not speak English whose bag was too large to fit in the overhead bin. She asked if he could explain to her that they had to check her bag due to its size.
Agreeing to help, he quickly picked through his limited Spanish vocabulary. Following the flight attendant to where the passenger was seated, he got down on his knee, introduced himself, and explained what happened to her bag. He then told her that when they arrived in Charlotte, he would help her retrieve her bag. He also told the flight attendant that when they reached Charlotte, he would wait for the lady in the jet bridge and take her to baggage claim. As they walked to baggage claim, she told him she was from Peru, that this was her first time flying, her first time out of the country, and she did not speak English. As they reached baggage claim she asked if she could use his cell phone because her battery had died. Roy’s bag came up first but before he left, he asked if she had someone who was coming to pick her up. She said yes, so he went on my way.
Others have comparable stories of helping fellow travelers. I know I have witnessed my fair share of such generous acts. Sometimes it is a simple gesture like trading seats so a family or friends can sit together. Other times, it involves helping someone lift a bag up or take one down from the overhead bin. On occasion, the good deed involves switching seats with a member of our military so they can enjoy the perks of a First-Class flight. Whatever the kindness, the essential point is that it was meant to benefit a stranger with no expectation of any reciprocity. And isn’t that what good deeds are about?
Soli Deo Gloria
“If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.” Luke 6:33
Keith Hughey
Mobile: (210)260-0955
E-mail: keith@jkeithhughey.com
Web site: www.jkeithhughey.com
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Copyright 2022 by J. Keith Hughey. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for reproduction and redistribution of this essay as provided under the copyright laws of the United States of America. The entire early library of Monday Morning Musings issues may be found at www.jkeithhughey.com. Your comments are welcome and encouraged.