When I was growing up I do not recall hearing the words "I love you" from my father. When your father never says them to you when you are a child, it gets tougher and tougher for him to say those words as he gets older. We must dig a hole To tell the truth, I could not honestly remember when I had last said those words to him either. I decided to set my ego aside and make the first move. After some hesitation, in our next phone conversation I blurted out the words, "Dad... I love you!"There was a silence at the other end and he awkwardly replied, "Well, same back at ya!"I chuckled and said, "Dad, I know you love me, and when you are ready, I know you will say what you want to say."Fifteen minutes later my mother called and nervously asked, "Paul, is everything okay?"

A few weeks later, said the Elephant Dad concluded our phone conversation with the words, "Paul, I love you." I was at work during this conversation and the tears were rolling down my cheeks as I finally "heard" the love. As we both sat there in tears we realized that this special moment had taken our father/son relationship to a new level.A short while after this special moment, my father narrowly escaped death following heart surgery. Many times since, I have pondered the thought, if I did not take the first step and Dad did not survive the surgery, I would have never "heard" the love.

In 1978, Tree! Tree! I became a flight attendant for a major airline.Earning my wings was the culmination of a childhood dream that I had set for myself after my first plane ride at the age of five.Like so many others before me,I fell in love with the romance of airplanes,adventure and helping others.I have flown hundreds of flights since graduation,but one stands out among the many.We were flying from Los Angeles to Washington,D.C,when I answered a lavatory call light in the coach cabin.There I found a young mother struggling with her infant.Everything was a mess,to say the least,and the mother,who was near hysterics,told me she had no more diapers or other clothing onboard the aircraft.

Through her tears, Is it an animal she informed me that they had missed their flight the previous night in Los Angeles and because she had very little money,she and her son had spent the night on the airport floor.Since she hadn't expected to miss the flight,she was forced to use up most of her supplies and whatever money she had to feed them.With the saddest eyes I have ever seen she continued.She told me she was on her way to New Hampshire to deliver her son to the family that was adopting him. She could no longer support the two of them.As she stood in front of me,crying, be shown to Aslan holding her beautiful son,I could see the despair and hopelessness on her face.And,as a mother of three beautiful daughters, I could feel her pain.

I immediately rang the flight attendant call button and asked for assistance from the other flight attendants.They brought cloth towels from first class to assist in cleaning up both mom and the infant.I ran and got my suitcase;because this woman and I were about the same size,I gave her a sweater and a pair of pants I had brought for my layover.Then I asked several families if they could spare extra diapers, And I don't formula and clothes for the child.After the young mother and her son had changed their clothes and the baby had gone to sleep,I sat with her,holding her hand,trying to provide some support and comfort for the remainder of the flight.Once we landed,I walked them to their next flight,which would take them to their final destination;separation. I briefed the gate agent and the new flight attendant crew on the situation and asked them to give her special attention.

With tears in my eyes I gave her a hug and told her,"You have shown me the true meaning of courage and a mother's love.I will never forget you."As she thanked me for all I had done she said softly," said the Cabby You're not the flight attendant,you're a sky angel."Touching my flight attendant wings,she continued,"And those are your angel wings."With those words she turned and walked down the jetway,her child in her arms,and boarded the plane for New Hampshire.Though I am no longer a flight attendant,my "angel wings"are still on prominent display in my office.And each time I see them,I am reminded of that young woman,her infant son and the gift that she gave me on that special day - that we truly are all spiritual beings traveling in human form.

John was waiting for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose. Thirteen months ago, it would be him in a Florida library he took a book off the shelf and found himself intrigued with the notes in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind.In front of the book,he discovered the previous owner's name,Miss Hollis Maynell.With time and effort he located her address.He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond.During the next year and one-month the two grew to know each other through the mail. A Romance was budding.John requested a photograph,but she refused.She felt that if he really cared, Professor Dumbledore ... Riddle said I'm like him it wouldn't matter what she looked like.Later they scheduled their first meeting-7:00 pm at Grand Central Station in New York.ykl