The Airplane to Lourdes

I left California on Tuesday afternoon, clutching my new passport and freshly minted French long-stay visa, on a Paris-bound Air France flight.

The majority of the people on the flight were members of the Knights of Malta, a men's Catholic association. It's my understanding that members must have a sizable net worth to belong . . . at least that's what a nun who used to work in their headquarters told me.

The group was making a pilgrimmage to Lourdes. On the flight there were many people who had horrible diseases, invitees of the Knights, who were making the trip with the hope that they would be cured in Lourdes' waters.

One handsome teenage male was afflicted with a disease that had required the amputation of his hands and legs.

The woman I chatted with while waiting to board the plane had a badly disfigured face from multiple surgeries. She has a type of rare cancer that affects the soft tissues, so whenever she bumps her head, she develops a tumor. She had an amazingly upbeat personality; joking about how her passport photo was going to shock the customs officers because it was taken just five days after her last surgery.

When we exited the plane in Paris, the jetway was lined from the plane to the terminal with attendants waiting with wheelchairs.

To say the least, I had a very inspirational flight on the airplane to Lourdes.

If you're ever feeling down about your life . . . book a flight to Lourdes.