Chicago...Part I

I remember sitting in my social psychology class in college and learning about how people always remember the negative events more than they do the positive ones. The reason being is that impressions are influenced more by negative traits than by positive traits. This is called negative effect and the best way to explain it; is that negative traits are more unusual and therefore are more distinctive, and because there distinctive we tend to remember them (Taylor et al.). With that said I will now begin to explain why I have even brought up this whole topic and what it has to do with Chicago. After spending four wonderful days in the Windy City, reality hit and all good things must come to an end. I really was not looking forward to our flight home, considering how turbulent and frightful our flight going there was. After 2 hours of being up in the air I thought to myself "thank God this is a good flight home", surely I thought/spoke to soon to say the least. I could swear I was in movie. I had never experienced anything like that on a plane! I remember a distinct silence, a peace you could say, one that was interrupted by a screaming woman. A woman shouting for her mother to wake up!!! "Mother wake up...wake up mother...wake up!!!!" She kept repeating and shaking the woman sitting beside her, finally one of the stewardess came to her side to see what was the matter. A few moments later the captain asked for any nurse or doctor on board to come forward and help out with the situation. The whole plane sat in silence as they watched a stewardess and a nurse try to resuscitate her in mid air. I began to pray for this woman that they referred to as Joan, and noticed once I was done that many other people were also praying for her as well. I began to cry because I could hear the pain, panic, and desperation in the daughters voice as she stood over her mother who was now laying on the aisle floor. I could not even begin to imagine what this woman was feeling as I sat and witnessed this entire ordeal. After about 30 minutes we finally landed and paramedics came on board and took the woman to the corridor exiting the plane where they continued to work on her. We were not allowed to leave the plane in order to not disrupt the work of the paramedics. An hour or so later we were allowed to exit the plane with no news as to the woman's condition. Prior to our exit we were constantly being updated on how Joan was doing, now I don't know for sure whether or not the elderly lady survived, but I did hear some airport employee talking amongst themselves about how they worked on her for over an hour and could do no more. I believe this woman passed away. My hope is that she knew the Lord and that her family may find peace in this difficult time. Emotions can have a powerful impact on memories and this is definitely something I will never forget. It is not the only thing I will remember about Chicago, but it is a story that I have told everyone since I have returned.


Maybe my next post will actually be about Chicago, but until then I use this post as a way to pay respect to Joan and my way offering condolences to her family.