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[Guest guest]

----- Plumb was a U.S. Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combatmissions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumbejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal andnow lectures on lessons learned from that experience.One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a manat another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jetfighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You wereshot 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 andsaid, "I guess it worked!" Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If yourchute 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 might have looked like in a Navy uniform: awhite hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder howmany times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, howare you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and hewas just a sailor." Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor hadspent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefullyweaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding inhis 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 throughthe day. Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds ofparachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory-he neededhis physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute,and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports beforereaching safety. Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what isreally 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 gothrough this week, this month, this year, recognize people who packyour parachute.I am sending you this as my way of thanking you for your part inpacking my parachute !!! And I hope you will send it on to those whohave helped pack yours! Sometimes, we wonder why friends keepforwarding jokes to us without writing a word, maybe this couldexplain: When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess whatyou do ? -- you forward jokes. And to let you know that you arestill remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, youare still cared for, guess what you get ? -- A forwarded joke. So my friend, next time if you get a joke, don't think that you'vebeen sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought oftoday and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to sendyou a smile.