I checked my boarding pass and then found my seat on the plane. I sat down next to an older man and smiled. He nodded back and then settled more comfortably in his seat and closed his eyes.

Flying by myself is always an awkward experience. I tend to be overly friendly with strangers and I’m not good at determining whether my seatmate wants to chat or not. I’ve definitely caused some uncomfortable moments by starting conversations with people who’d prefer not to talk. But this time around, it seemed clear that the man next to me was hoping to catch a nap.

Although it went against my nature, I decided not to utter a word for the entire flight.

Just Be Quiet

But just a few minutes after take-off, the man began to cough—hard. When he finally stopped, he settled back against the window and closed his eyes again. But less than a minute later, the coughing started once more.

I sat in my seat, unsure of what to do. I had some individually wrapped hard candies in my bag that might help with his coughing, but he’d made it pretty clear that he didn’t want to be bothered. I didn’t want to create yet another awkward moment, especially since I had to sit next to the man for another three hours.

I closed my eyes, hoping to snooze myself, but the man’s coughing fits were happening more frequently. I had to at least offer to help. I reached into my purse and pulled out a plastic baggie of hard candy.

“Would you like one?” I said quietly.

The man shook his head, barely even glancing my way. I felt silly. Of course, the man wouldn’t take candy from a stranger on a plane. But 10 minutes later—and several more coughing fits—he said, “I’ll take one of those candies if you’re still offering.”

“Yes, of course,” I replied and handed him the bag. He selected one and popped it into his mouth. “I’ll just keep them out, in case you want more.” I set the bag on my tray table where he could help himself.

He nodded his thanks and settled back against the window. His coughing subsided for a while but then started up again. He pointed at the hard candy and said, “May I?”

“Please, take as many as you need,” I said. “When I was a little girl, my mom always kept a roll of Lifesavers in her purse for just this reason. When I got bored during church, I’d pretend to cough so she’d give me one.”

The man smiled politely and turned back toward the window. Oh, terrific! I thought. I just overshared and created yet another awkward moment with a stranger. The man had made it clear that he didn’t want to chat. Just be quiet, I told myself.

Oh, terrific! I thought. I just overshared and created yet another awkward moment with a stranger. DIANE STARK

Playing Her Part

After a while, the man reached for another candy. “Do you still go to church?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

I was taken aback. “Yes, I do. My faith in Jesus is very important to me.”

He nodded. “Me, too.”

The extrovert in me wanted to ask him a hundred questions. I love engaging with people in general, and especially with fellow believers. But he’d made it clear that he didn’t want to talk, so I fought against my usual tendencies and just smiled.

“At your church, do you pray for people who don’t believe?”

“All the time. I have loved ones who I pray for nearly every day. I pray that they will come to faith someday.”

“Can you add someone to your list?”

“I’d be honoured.”

“It’s my daughter-in-law, my son’s wife. She is a wonderful person, and more than anything in this world, I want her to invite Jesus into her life.”

I nodded. “Of course I’ll pray for her. What’s her first name? So I can add her to my list.”

“Her name is Spring.”

“What a lovely name. Please know that the woman from seat 27B will be praying for Spring.”

The man patted my hand and said thank you. Then he grabbed another hard candy and leaned against the window with his eyes closed.

We didn’t say much for the remainder of the flight, but it didn’t feel awkward anymore. The man next to me was one of deep faith, but few words. And that was OK. It was how God made him.

As we got ready to land, the man patted my hand again. “God used you and your little bag of candy today. Your kindness made my day, and your prayers could help change everything for Spring. Thank you.”

I smiled past the lump in my throat. Sometimes I worried that my overly chattiness made people uncomfortable, but he’d just reminded me that God created each of us uniquely because He has a special role for each of us. And if mine is to share a bag of hard candy and pray, I am happy to play my part.

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