From2014 on this day, So yesterday, while I was jetting around the country, I was supposed to be in a small audience listening to Condaleeza Rice speak. I'd been looking forward to it for months. Instead, my journey joined that of an elderly gentleman. Let me tell you about Jim. He fell in love with Joyce over 70 years ago. They'd been married for 67 years when she passed this week. Jim and Joyce loved to dance, especially ballroom and polkas. Joyce also loved her gardens. She grew roses, mostly. And every 2 weeks, Jim brought her flowers - roses - and he said that he was more in love as they aged then when they first married. They'd traveled the world together; Brazil, Norway, England and so on. Near the end, Jim did the cooking and cleaning and the day before yesterday, after getting Joyce's death certificate, he carefully and lovingly selected a dress and jewelry to give the funeral home to get Joyce ready for the viewing and service. Jim had the clothes and jewels with him as we bounced from airport to airport. My heart broke a little more each announcement that said he wasn't going to make it to Kansas early enough to meet with the funeral director, perhaps not at all. Jim and Joyce had retired to the warmth of Scottsdale but were from a small farming community between Wichita and Kansas City. Did I mention Jim is 87? He missed the Wichita connection in Vegas by less than 10 minutes. There were some bright spots: a flight attendant found out how Jim had spent the week, and that he'd arisen at 1 am to get to Kansas. Jim's blood sugar was getting a little low so he asked for some crackers. The flight attendant brought back a sandwich, such a kindness in the midst of craziness. That was before we departed Phoenix, before the Chinese fire drill loading the remaining passengers to make a 5 minute window in Vegas. Vegas to Chicago, we got cheese and crackers and our 2 oz of sprite. During that flight they announced that all connecting flights had been changed. By this time, all hope of me making my event was gone but I prayed that Jim would make it even if I didn't. A bit dramatic but if you had been there, you would have felt it too. While we waited for a plane to get to the gate in Chicago, a flight attendant from flight 2 showed up and asked if we needed anything. Jim offered to buy us a sandwich that we would split. We agreed on tuna on wheat. And water. The flight attendant found 2 cans of water and straws. I remarked she must be a mom. She smiled and took the money Jim gave her to a nearby deli. She brought back a bag with the sandwich, smiled and wished us well. Who knows where she was supposed to be. Home? Tucking in her children? We opened the bag not knowing how much longer our journey would be. We found two sandwiches and tucked between was Jim's $. Such kindness when two other disgruntled passengers from a different flight joined us, saying they would never fly Southwest again. Jim and I looked at each other and remarked that the crews of Southwest had gone above and beyond for us. It wasn't their fault Las Vegas was fogged in and planes everywhere were diverting, running low on fuel, changing routes. It wasn't just Southwest. It was all the airlines. And we had met at least a couple of angels that paid it quietly forward. As you know, we made it to Wichita a bit before midnight. Jim had arranged for a rental car to drive...another 90 miles but his family had talked him into staying in Wichita for the night and then making the final drive to bury his love. Baggage claim is where we parted ways. Our conversations had covered a multitude of topics. What surely had to be one of the hardest days of Jim's life was spent not knowing where he was going to go, worrying about getting Joyce's clothes to the funeral home in time for the service. So I missed Condaleeza. But my life is better from having met Jim and the Angels in Southwest clothing that cared for us. And yes, I will fly Southwest again.