I recently flew with an angel named Carrie. Here is her story in her words:

After venturing out on a layover in downtown Portland, I stumbled upon a young woman, sleeping on a busy street with her dogs; a beautiful large chocolate Labrador and equally precious brown chihuahua mix. As I passed them a sense of compassion filled my being & I turned around and walked back to check if she was okay. She didn’t look all that well however her canine companions were friendly with tails wagging. I knelt down and asked, “are you okay sweetie?” she looked up dazed & answered, “I’m cold & sick, but otherwise alright.” I asked if she ate anything and she stared at a small Styrofoam container next to her with rice. I smiled & noticed a convenience store just behind us. I walked in, grabbed some bottled water, crackers & jerky for her and the dogs, considering this was the best choices available. I then asked her if I could give the dogs some jerky and water which they gobbled down immediately. After a minute or so, I asked if I could call anyone for her, she looked up again, with a faint hope and said, “yes, my mother please.” she gave me the number but there was no answer, I left a brief message and explained I was a flight attendant on a layover in Portland and why I was calling. I then told her to wait there, and headed back two blocks to Ross’s department store to find her something to keep her warm for the night. At that moment my phone rang, it was Laura’s mother, Teddy. She told me how Laura traveled the country and did really well for herself as a writer until two years ago when she met someone who introduced her to drugs. She explained these last two years has been so hard for her as they live in Massachusetts and Laura is in Portland seeking treatment for drug addiction. She poured her heart out and cried as only a Mother can. I cried with her and told her how I came to meet her daughter. I assured her that I just bought her some blankets to keep her and her dogs warm, a hot meal for dinner and some company for awhile. I was scheduled to depart back to be on an airplane in five hours. We walked to a nearby park and I told her how wonderful I think she is and that she was WORTH something. She was uniquely intelligent and talked about her dreams and goals of being a writer. She is only twenty three years old yet the depression and what she called embarrassing turn of events made her look so much older. I reminded her that picking herself up was the only option for her and that it was possible. I gave my testimony about being twenty six years old, with three children under the age of five, separated from a man also addicted to drugs. I had to make a choice to leave or be destroyed but the spirits of my children gave me the courage to not give up. She looked so different after our talk, as if the light began to flicker inside of her. Laura then called and spoke with her Mother and promised to call her tomorrow once she got settled with a plan. We talked for bit longer before I headed back to the hotel. I asked if I could take a picture of her and her dogs, Stumps and Pablo and send it via phone to her parents so they could see she was okay.

Once back at the hotel I sat on my bed and tears began to fall, I felt the hurt and pain of the young woman and her parents, but especially her mother. It hit me like a bolt of lightening, I cried uncontrollably for two hours. This divine meeting will forever be etched in my soul and I wait for the day that I can read a best selling book by LAURA.

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7 comments

  1. Wow,what a great story! Thanks for sharing!

  2. Very touching… so often on the road it’s easy to overlook things because you’re far from home and in a few hours you’ll never see them again. Thanks for sharing her story.

  3. What a beautiful story, and so true about the heart of a flight attendant. You have to care very much for people.

  4. I love that Carrie stepped out of her fear zone and made a connection that could very well have saved a life. I to am a Flight Attendant and I need to remember this story because I have opportunities daily on the plane to make a connection with strangers and possibly change someones life, I know my customers have changed mine, for the better.

  5. Thank you for not only turning around to check on another human being but for also sharing the story. @Christopher is so right. It is all too easy to just think that we can’t do anything for these people or that they did it to themselves. You never really know what their story is and it could very well be us if circumstances in our own lives were different. It’s up to us as fellow children of God to care for each other.

    Thank you.

  6. wow!!! beautiful story. so glad carrie could be so compassionate and help someone that others may have just stepped over. i really hope that laura’s attempt to get clean is successful, and that i too get to read a book by her someday. and maybe i’ll look for her while in portland. thanks for sharing this! 🙂

  7. Wait, did you just say you’re 26 and with 3kids under 5?! Dear, you just gave me hopenin becoming a flight attendant! Thank you so much for sharing this story with me! (so personal for me!)