Who packed your 'chute?

ragtopW · Post by **ragtopW** » March 20, 2006 10:37 pm

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions,
his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and
parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a
communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on
lessons learned from that experience!

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at
another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in
Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and
gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!" Plumb
assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here
today."

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, I kept
wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in
the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have
seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because,
you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor." Plumb thought of
the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of
the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute,
holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone has
someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He also
points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot
down over enemy territory -- he needed his physical parachute, his mental
parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called
on all these supports before reaching safety.

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really
important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate
someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment,
or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this
month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes.

I am sending you this as my way of thanking you for your part in packing my
parachute And I hope you will send it on to those who have helped pack
yours!

Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing
a word. Maybe this could explain it: When you are very busy, but still want
to keep in touch, guess what you do -- you forward jokes. And to let you
know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still
loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get? A forwarded joke.

So my friend, next time when you get a joke, don't think that you've been
sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and
your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile,
just helping you pack your parachute........

Piratical · Post by **Piratical** » March 20, 2006 10:52 pm

Attitude of Gratitude.

Thanks Ragtop

surprise#3 · Post by **surprise#3** » March 20, 2006 11:25 pm

Thanks Dude.

hawaiiboy · Post by **hawaiiboy** » March 21, 2006 12:34 am

Thanks Wayne

SchoolGirlHeart · Post by **SchoolGirlHeart** » March 21, 2006 12:39 am

Well, now, that just makes you stop and think, doesn't it?

Thanks, Wayne.

Brown Eyed Girl · Post by **Brown Eyed Girl** » March 21, 2006 12:42 am

SchoolGirlHeart wrote:Well, now, that just makes you stop and think, doesn't it?

Thanks, Wayne.

wJs

rsgeist · Post by **rsgeist** » March 21, 2006 8:15 am

Ah geez, that just gave me a case of the warm 'n fuzzies. I hate it when that happens.

Thanks Wayne!

ph4ever · Post by **ph4ever** » March 21, 2006 8:27 am

Thanks Wayne

Post by **SMLCHNG** » March 21, 2006 8:40 am

Thanks, Wayne.. nice to be reminded that there are more important things out there in life that we sometimes forget to remember.

ToplessRideFL · Post by **ToplessRideFL** » March 21, 2006 8:58 am

SchoolGirlHeart wrote:Well, now, that just makes you stop and think, doesn't it?

Thanks, Wayne.

wSGHs

ragtopW · Post by **ragtopW** » March 21, 2006 9:06 am

That was sent to me by my Lil sis..

Thanks Toad..

Wino you know · Post by **Wino you know** » March 21, 2006 9:53 am

Very nice, Wayne. Thanks so much.
I should use that as my screen saver.

phjrsaunt · Post by **phjrsaunt** » March 21, 2006 11:20 am

I challenge each and everyone of us to recognize someone who packs our parachute today.

tikitatas · Post by **tikitatas** » March 21, 2006 4:33 pm

Challenge accepted, Auntie!

I got through my day today partly because of my educational assistant, PGS, who made sure all the new assistive tech software got installed. Thanks, P.

ragtopW · Post by **ragtopW** » March 22, 2006 12:43 am

I sent her the link.... Does that count???

rogue · Post by **rogue** » April 11, 2006 1:19 pm

It goes both ways,thanks for everything. Toad

NYCsharkling · Post by **NYCsharkling** » April 11, 2006 3:24 pm

That's pretty cool!

ragtopW · Post by **ragtopW** » April 11, 2006 8:15 pm

rogue wrote:It goes both ways,thanks for everything. Toad

Hey YOU!!!!!

Uh BN Meet (not meat) Shawna

Aka Lil sis..

BTW I sent you a funny..

Quiet and Shy · Post by **Quiet and Shy** » April 11, 2006 8:22 pm

ragtopW wrote:
rogue wrote:It goes both ways,thanks for everything. Toad
Hey YOU!!!!!

Uh BN Meet (not meat) Shawna

Aka Lil sis..

BTW I sent you a funny..

Cool stuff. Thanks for sharing.

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Who packed your 'chute?

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