“I hope our story uplifts you, and reminds you there is goodness to be had in this world.”
Caren and Dustin Moore were already on cloud nine when they boarded their Southwest Airlines flight in Colorado. The mom and dad were headed home to Buena Park, California, with their newly adopted infant daughter cradled in their arms, and it seemed as if life couldn’t get any better for the happy parents…
…But then it did!
Dustin, 33, and his wife Caren, 35, struggled for nine long years to have a baby, and thanks to a recent adoption earlier in the week, their dream of raising a child were finally coming true.
But, that was only the beginning of this amazing journey.
When the flight attendants got wind of their sweet story, the crew decided to surprise the new parents with an impromptu baby shower at 30,000 feet!
As Dustin explained on his viral Twitter feed, it had been a very difficult week for him and his wife. But, he didn’t want to publicly air his grievances or rant about the things that had gone wrong. Dustin wanted to use social media as a driving force for good things!
So, he decided to share a heartwarming story about the kindness of strangers…and the badass Southwest flight attendants who got the ball rolling!
“W/ clearance to return home to California, my wife carried our precious bundle, while I offered numerous apologies to passengers while maneuvering the aisle with 4 bags.”
After getting settled in, the flight took off and life on the jumbo jet was good…for about an hour.
You can probably guess what happened next – you know, that whole thing with planes and the curse of crying babies and all that!
They weren’t even halfway home when Caren and Dustin’s 8-day-old daughter woke up from her nap and grew a bit fussy.
That meant it was time for a diaper change, but airplane bathrooms are so excruciatingly tiny – it would have been an impossibly tight fit!
That’s when Dustin asked one of the flight attendants, Jenny, for some help. She immediately offered the couple some space in the back of the plane so they could change their little girl’s diaper in privacy.
“After a change, Jenny and another passenger complimented my beautiful daughter and politely asked what had prompted a flight with such a young infant. I gave them the shortened adoption story, to which they hastily offered congratulations, and shared a few more kind remarks.”
About 10 minutes later, another flight attendant named Bobby couldn’t help himself, and his curiosity got the better of him.
He sauntered over to Caren and Dustin, took a quick peek at the week-old cutie patootie, and then proceeded to ask the new mom and dad some personal questions.
“We repeated the story w/ a few details, and he congratulated us before walking away. My wife and I exchanged curious looks, but thought nothing more about it.”
The Moore’s must not have flown with Southwest Airlines before, or they would’ve realized that everyone on board was about to take a nosedive into a fun little rabbit hole.
Here’s the scoop, in case you don’t already know: Southwest flight attendants absolutely LOVE getting goofy with the plane’s intercoms! And that’s exactly what was about to happen when they called them out on the intercom for everyone on the plane to hear.
“The attendant Bobby came on and announced a special guest on the flight. Our daughter. ‘She’s just been adopted by her parents Caren and Dustin, and is making her way home.’ The entire cabin erupted in cheers and applause.”
The crew then handed out pens and napkins to all the passengers, and encouraged them to write helpful advice for the new parents.
After the napkins were collected, the fight attendants picked a few of the choicest tidbits and read them to everyone over the intercom.
But, one of those notes in particular was especially touching for the couple:
“I was adopted 64 years ago. Thank you for giving this child a loving family to be part of. Us adopted kids need a little extra love. Congratulations.”
Dustin explained in an interview with the Insider why it moved him:
“That was the one that stood out the most to me. It was pretty significant for my wife as well. My wife had a lot more reservation about adoption and whether or not our daughter would be treated differently. That [letter] was a point of vision for my wife to see further down the road.”
The other napkin notes included lots of practical tips, like “Rub each other’s feet, and rub the baby’s feet.” and “Enjoy every minute. It goes by sooo fast!”
But some folks, most likely seasoned parents themselves, also threw in bit of cheeky advice, such as “Drink lots of wine.” and “Make time for date night.”
“We sat in speechless gratitude, as people kept peeking over their chairs to congratulate us.”
Eventually, Caren and Dustin were given the bundle of napkins, and some pilot wings for their daughter, to take home with them.
That’s when they learned there was a connection between Jenny and Bobby, the two flight attendants who started it all.
“We learned they were married, and that someone had done a similar act for them on their honeymoon flight. When I had spoken with Jenny, she thought it was a perfect opportunity to pay forward the kind act they had been shown on their honeymoon.”
Back on Twitter, Dustin concluded their fairytale story by giving a shout out to all the crew and passengers who helped make two brand new parents feel special that day:
“The outpouring of love from that flight, brought on by the actions of two thoughtfully observant flight attendants… it exceeds my ability to describe what it meant to us. How much those wings and written notes uplifted two new parents determined to love their new daughter.”
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
