Dustin and Caren Moore became parents in February when they traveled from California to Colorado to pick up their daughter, whom they had recently adopted. And while the week leading up to bringing their daughter home may have been difficult, their flight back to California with their little girl in their arms made it a little better.
In a Twitter thread shared by Dustin himself, he explained why the flight home made everything better. “It’s been a difficult week. But rather than publicly air my grievances, I’d like to share with you the kindness strangers offered us the day we brought our daughter home. I hope our story uplifts you and reminds you there is goodness to be had in this world.”
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He continued, “Not too long ago, my wife and I boarded a Southwest Air flight with our recently adopted infant daughter. With 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”:
“About mid-flight, our daughter awoke and politely informed us she wanted a new diaper. After inquiring about space for a table change, a thoughtful flight attendant (named Jenny) cleared a space in the back of the plane and gave us privacy.”
While they made their way back to their seat, Dustin and Caren received several compliments from the flight attendant and other passengers about how cute their little girl is. They also fielded questions as to why they were traveling with a days-old infant.
The parents explained that they had just adopted the child, to which they were met with congratulatory sentiments. Dustin continued, “About 10 minutes later, another attendant (named Bobby) greeted us with a warm smile, and inquired about our daughter.”
After repeating a similar story, Bobby said congratulations and walked away. “My wife and I exchanged curious looks, but thought nothing more about it.”
“Then, we heard the intercom. 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. He then shared that the crew would pass out pens and napkins to everyone, and anybody who wanted to share a word of advice or encouragement for our family was welcome to do so. We sat in speechless gratitude, as people kept peeking over their chairs to congratulate us.”
One of the messages said, “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.”
After Jenny and Bobby presented all 60 or so of the napkins to them and explained that something was done similar for them when they were on their honeymoon flight, Jenny added that they wanted to pay the kindness they were soon then forward to them.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Dustin said, “We had no expectation they would have done something like that. I get choked up thinking about it.”
As Dustin wrote, the congratulations kept coming even as they were deboarding the plane. “Our hearts were full,” he explained. But all those notes did more than just fill their hearts:
“What all of those perfect strangers and attendants did not know, was the emotionally tender state of two brand-new parents. Parents who after 9 years of trying had been blessed with their first child. Parents who felt scared, but determined in their new role.”
Dustin told The Washington Post, “It’s just amazing having a daughter. All the little details that are mundane to other people are amazing to us. When she burps, we’re like, ‘What an accomplishment!’ It was a long, long wait for her, but every minute we had to wait was worth it.”
Beautiful.