Call Your Mom

Sometimes you get a phone call and your heart feels like it drops in your belly. That sure happened to me this morning.

David and Holly (oldest son and daughter in law) who live in Atlanta have been saving their money for months to take a second honeymoon trip. They were married in February of 2006 and have been planning to go back to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic where they spent their honeymoon. This trip was going to be a little different than the first trip because they were going to be joined by two other couples.

As you could imagine they have been counting the days for this trip. I talked to David last night after he got off work after a very long day at his office. He and Holly were so excited about this trip they were beside themselves. Their flight was scheduled for 11AM today.

The call came to me about 9:30AM. I could immediately tell from David’s voice that this was not a “how you doing” call. He began to explain to me that they had just been denied a boarding pass because Holly’s passport had her maiden name instead of her married name. In other words, the name on the passport was “Holly Blount.” The ticket was issued to “Holly Goddard.” That doesn’t work at airports in the post 9-11 days.

And in a totally stunned voice David was telling me that they were about to lose the money they had paid for this trip, and worse, they would not be able to go on this getaway they had been so looking forward to. It was right about then that this dad’s heart fell out of the chest into his belly.

He was talking to me on his cell phone as they were heading to a place called the “Denied Boarding Office,” where the agent sent them. I’m in airports every week but I have never visited that office. In fact I had never heard of it. I was still talking to him when they got to the office. I could hear Holly in the background saying the office is closed.

I was looking at my watch and it was about 9:45AM at this point. David asked me a question that I have heard before.

Daddy, do you know someone you can call to help us?

I told him to keep his cool and find a Delta representative and make them help. In the meantime I told him I would try to think about what to do and who to call. I hung up the phone and looked at my watch to see how much time they had to make that plane and realized I had no idea who to call to help.

But all of sudden I thought of the perfect person. I called my wife and David’s mom (who happen to be the same person). I could tell Kathy’s heart went to her belly when I told her of their predicament.

I had to get on a conference call and was checking my watch during the call wondering what was going on. The fact that David had not called back gave me some hope. At 10:30, which would be boarding time for a 11AM flight, I called his cell. I got no answer. At 10:45 David called. He and Holly were on the plane. A Delta representative got an affidavit for them to complete. They then had to go somewhere else to get in notarized. But they made the flight.

I was sitting at my desk thinking this was one time that Dad could not help. I’ve been able to step up to the plate for my kids many times to help them in a pinch. David called me hoping somehow I could do it again. This time all I could do was feel nauseated at the thought of their disappointment.

About that time my cell phone rang again. It was Kathy calling to see if I had heard from them. Kathy stayed home from school today because our youngest son was sick with a bad virus. I told her David and Holly were on the plane. Her reply was simply, “Thank God!”

She then told me she had literally been on the floor praying since I called. It dawned on me that I did know someone to call when David asked me if I knew someone to call.

I called a praying mom.

In a world where there are people who do not have food to eat and clothes on their backs tonight, do you really think God would be interested in such things as whether a couple is disappointed because they cannot get a boarding pass for an airplane trip to an all inclusive resort?

The answer is simple. He is interested in it all.

My wife got His attention today. He intervened and they are enjoying each other and their friends in Punta Cana tonight. If you have trouble believing that I certainly can understand how foolish that may seem to you.

But just for the record, it is not foolish to me.