Monday Morning Surprise

V text messaged me that she was leaving Lackland on a bus for the airport at about 0300 (She'd been up and had sent me a message at 0145 but I was out like a light). I woke to her message this time and responded and we went back and forth a bit.

V's flight wasn't til 7. Grandma's was at 7:30am and our was after 8am so we were up and at the airport early too. Unfortunately, not early enough to see V off... or so we thought.

V's flight was at 7PM!

They get all the graduates off base as early as possible for the new trainees to arrive - regardless of their flight time. They can store their luggage at the USO but they can't check it or go through security until 4 hours before their flight. There's really nothing for them to do. All day long.

She was truly exhausted now as her flight stayed up talking all night and were excited about their day to come. That plus, though they fed them, it was hours later and nothing was open at her terminal yet. She was starving, exhausted and incoherent. This poor kid was running on empty in so many ways. :( It breaks my heart.

Surprise! To our delight she was able to walk over to our terminal in time to spend about half an hour with us. Starbucks was open and I got her a cocoa, a sandwich and a muffin and we just enjoyed each other's company.

While we were there another new AF mom and two teenagers came over to say hello. Get this... They're from a town just 15 minutes outside Vandenberg!!! V exchanged numbers with the mom (Hi Molly!) and I invited them to the AF parents list. V called them this weekend and left a message. What a great connection she's already made... and in the airport too! It was B'shert.
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Teaching Moment!

B'shert is a Yiddish word.

In English it is closest in meaning to "serendipity" but not very close. We don't have a word for its full meaning. In love relationships we say "soul mate" but that's lame. It means much more than that.

I like this definition: "When relationships of destiny insinuate themselves."

Something Divinely "meant to be."

Though I don't know if he was intending to, Rumi comes close to an explanation of b'shert: "This being human is a guest-house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor."

Molly coming in to V's life and the fact that I was there to meet her and make this connection too was B'shert. Divinity intended for us to meet and for me to feel that V had a "home" and an AF mom nearby if she needs one.

End teaching moment. I'm in tears.

Thank you Molly. It means the world to me to know that you are there for my baby.
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So now... (sniff)
This was the last glimpse we had that weekend of V... and her muffin.



Not very flattering, but this mom thinks she's absolutely the most beautiful young woman I've ever seen.