I’ve been contemplating how to share this experience for a while now. It’s going to be a bit of a story, but I assure you, it’s worth reading. Last night, Jared and I boarded a flight to LAX on Hawaiian Airlines. As we waited to board the plane, we realized something: this was the first time we’d be away from our kids together. Sure, we’ve traveled separately before, but never together and never without the kids. We started joking about not having to carry a ton of bags and not being able to pre-board without TK. But then something caught our attention.

We noticed all the families traveling around us. And as we observed, we began to discuss how we could offer help, given our experience traveling with kids. It was on the flight that we encountered a single mom with three children. Her youngest was having a tough time, crying inconsolably, while her oldest couldn’t have been more than 5 years old. We watched as she tried everything to calm her toddler down, turning into an acrobat in her attempts to soothe him, all while navigating the aisles.

Meanwhile, a couple in front of her kept shooting her disapproving glances, as if she were deliberately causing a disturbance. The woman in front even muttered something to her children, and I couldn’t help but feel frustrated. Not at the crying child, not even at the mom, but at the lack of empathy from those around her.

Just as I was about to intervene, something incredible happened. A flight attendant approached the struggling mother and asked to hold her son. At first, she seemed hesitant and embarrassed, clearly at her wit’s end after trying for nearly 45 minutes to calm him down. But the toddler reached out, and the flight attendant began rocking him up and down the aisle until he finally settled.

This, to me, epitomized the true Aloha spirit. Hawaiian Airlines, you should be proud of the compassionate individuals you employ, who go above and beyond to help others. I didn’t catch the flight attendant’s name, but I’m sure someone knows who she is. To that flight attendant, thank you for your kindness. It didn’t go unnoticed by anyone on that flight. You gave a mother a moment of respite, and you have no idea how invaluable that was for everyone onboard. Mahalo Nui!