The Reflection on the Back of the Airplane Seat

Flying back from Raleigh, I noticed my reflection in the blank screen on the back of the seat in front of me. I was struck by the memory of the many times I’ve been told (mainly by my dear sister) how much I resemble my father. How much do I look like him when he was 46? Album pictures can answer some of this question. Levi is the same age I was when dad was 46. Certainly when dad was 46 he wasn’t sitting at 15,000 feet above north Georgia, as I am right now. So the similarities in this case stop at both the physical features of our respective faces, and the important things that lie underneath the two of us as men, fathers, and husbands.

So I wonder, sitting here looking down at the trees thousands of feet below, how much are we alike? I think that how I think about my kids (these Peloza kids) is exactly the same. I’d give my health, or anything else, to help give a leg up. But here’s where we are different. Luckily, I already got a boost, which continues through the next generation. I get to sit on this plane as one way that I help my kids. Very different from what my mom and dad did to help me get ahead. I don't have to make the kind of sacrifices my parents made for me. I get to help my kids not by working all day in the worst conditions, but by sipping a beer at 30,000 feet and getting paid to tell people what I think. For that, I can never say thank you enough times. I can never say I love you enough. There is nothing I can do to repay what I’ve received. So I pay it forward. Mom and dad, your grandkids are getting everything you ever hoped they would. Getting up at some insane early hour, and every other effort so far above and beyond what was needed at the moment, is paying off now. Thank you. I love you. Levi and Eva, don’t you ever forget what you have been given in life, and always remember to pay it forward. Always respect what others have given you. Love your family. geez, you'd think the plane was going down, eh?

On that note, here is Levi’s Flat Stanley, a project for sister Eva, looking out the window. Can’t have a post without a picture, y’all.