"Who packs your parachute?"

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. A surface-to-air missile destroyed his plane. He ejected and parachuted into enemy hands, was captured and spent six years in a communist Vietnamese prison.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man said. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!" Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."

So who packs your parachute? Who gives of themselves, often in thankless ways, so that you can have a great day? The police officers, the teachers, the water treatment operators, the power plant repair persons, the highway crews, the telephone engineers, the cable guys, God, and the list goes on. Say “Thank you!” to those who pack your chute as you listen to life today.