Who Packs Your Parachute?

Think About This: Captain Charles Plumb, after 74 successful combat missions over North Vietnam, was shot down. He parachuted to safety, but was captured, tortured and spent 2,103 days in a small cell. After surviving the ordeal, Plumb received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, and two Purple Hearts. He returned home and spoke to many groups about his experience and how it compared to the challenges of everyday life. After coming home, while Charlie and his wife were sitting in a restaurant a man walked over and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!" Charlie responded, "How in the world did you know that?" The man replied, "I packed your parachute." The man shook his hand, gave a thumbs-up and said, "I guess it worked!" Charlie assured him, "It most certainly did work. If it had not worked, I would not be here today." Charlie continued thinking about the man. He thought of the hours the sailor had spent bending over a long wooden table in the bottom of the ship, folding the silks and weaving the chute, each time holding in his hands the fate of someone he didn't know. Plumb realized that along with the physical parachute, he needed mental, emotional and spiritual parachutes. He called on all these supports during his ordeal. How many times each day do we have the opportunity to thank those people around us: family, friends, and teammates who are "packing our parachutes?" Contributing writers, Don and Judy Kay Avera, Missouri City, Texas, from Aim For the Heart, by Tom Mathews.