The kindness of a Southwest staffer touched a heartbroken mother as she began an incredibly difficult journey. (iStock)
According to the Daily Mail, 48-year-old Tricia Belstra was on a Southwest Airlines flight from Colorado to Indiana to attend the funeral of her 25-year-old son Kyle who committed suicide in August after breaking up with his long-time girlfriend.
During the flight, Belstra began to feel overwhelmed and kept the sick bag between her knees. Her flight attendant, a young man who she couldn’t identify, poured her drinks and asked her what was wrong.
Belstra told the attendant about her son’s death and he consoled her while she cried. As she exited the plane, the young man handed her a note written on a napkin. When Belstra entered the terminal, she started to read the note and burst into tears.
“When I got into the terminal I opened it and I read it and just burst into tears because it was so beautiful,” Belstra said. “For a young man like that to take the time to write that, it just went to my heart. I think it was an amazing thing to do. It was heartfelt and so loving and caring and to think of him writing that made me feel so warm at that horrible time.”
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The following day, the mother buried her son and held the napkin note throughout the funeral, even showing it to the priest who performed the service and asking him to bless the unidentified attendant.
Belstra has since had the note laminated and wants the attendant to know what it meant to her.
“It went a long way,” Belstra said. “I don't know who this flight attendant is and I don't want to out him if he doesn't want to come out. I just want him to know that what he did was appreciated.”
Here is the note from the flight attendant, in full:
“In 2004 my family lost my older brother. As traumatic as it still is for me, I can’t even pretend to truly know the pain you feel as a mom. I did, however, watch my mother’s grieving process (a process that will never end). Firstly, being a mother is about giving birth to a new life as a promise to the future. Your mission doesn’t end now — your son’s life is bigger than his death and always will be. My mom struggled desperately chasing a far away goal of somehow lessening the pain. As she realized now, the pain hardly lessens. Don’t expend your energy trying to chase this. Instead, go all out finding opportunities to experience joy. Visit family, get closer to those you’ve lost touch with, travel. This is your story and you owe it to yourself and your son to make sure that you survive this. Do not pressure yourself. The world is full of people who do truly care about you, even if it doesn’t feel that way. I won’t stop thinking about you anytime soon, or how you’re doing or what you’re up to. You’ll come out of this a stronger person and I’ll be rooting for you the whole time.”
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