On Friday I went to my husband’s Toastmasters meeting. Well, it wasn’t a usual meeting, actually. It was a special meeting with a speaker by the name of Charlie Plumb. Charlie was a POW in North Vietnam for 6 years toward the end of the war and he is the brother of one of the Toastmasters group my husband belongs to.
First of all, the speaking ability of Charlie was incredible. Both his subject and his presentation were fascinating.
He began by demonstrating to us the space he lived in (8′ x 8′) and exactly what that distance entailed – 3 paces from one wall to the opposite.
He told a story of a visit to his family some many years later and was at a local Kansas City restaurant, when he was approached by a gentleman who asked, “Are you Capt. Charles Plumb?” He named the aircraft carrier, the date Charlie was shot down, the plane Charlie flew when he was shot down – all details that seemed to astound Charlie. How would this stranger know all this about him? When Charlie asked, the man responded, “I packed your parachute.”
It was this meeting that allowed Charlie to thank the man for what ultimately was responsible for saving his life that day.
Well, the story brought the hair up on my arms and I got to thinking. Just how often do we get the opportunity to thank the people who make a difference in our lives, no matter how small? I know I don’t do it often enough.
I think it is very easy to just take for granted those people who “pack our parachutes.” So, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you – quilters whom I have met, taught, learned from, shared fabric with, developed quilting ideas with, developed friendships with — thank you for letting me into your lives, and thank you for coming into mine. I know I am very lucky to be doing what I do. And my luck is all because of YOU!
Kathy