A couple flying home to California on a Southwest Airlines flight were treated to a surprise and impromptu baby shower while bringing home their newly adopted daughter.
In a Twitter thread that has now been liked over 15,000 times, father Dustin Moore said he was inspired to share the details of the kindness his family experienced from Southwest flight attendants and passengers while bringing their adopted daughter home from Colorado.
“It’s been a difficult week,” wrote Moore in a Tweet. “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.”
Moore and his wife Caren flew from Colorado to California on November 8, 2019, with their newly adopted daughter after trying to become pregnant for nine years. One out of every six couples of childbearing age struggles with infertility.
Dustin said when their daughter needed a diaper change, a flight attendant cleared space in the back of the place to give the couple privacy. Another flight attendant complimented the couple on their baby and politely asked what prompted the family’s flight with a newborn.
“I gave them the shortened adoption story,” wrote Moore, “to which they hastily offered congratulations, and shared a few more kind remarks.”
A few minutes later, another flight attendant named Bobby asked the couple about their daughter. Moore said he shared a few details about their family’s adoption story. Later, the attendant Bobby came over the intercom and announced a special guest onboard the Southwest flight: the couple’s daughter.
“She’s just been adopted by her parents Caren and Dustin, and is making her way home,” Bobby announced. The passengers on the flight burst into cheers and applause, but the flight attendants’ goodwill didn’t stop there.
Attendants passed out napkins to passengers and asked them to share words of wisdom for the new family. The Moores were handed 60 napkins at the end of the flight decorated with advice and kind messages. The napkins are now secured in a family scrapbook.
While over 58% of Americans say that gift-giving makes relationships more meaningful, those gifts don’t have to be bought from the store. The Moores said they were blown away by the strangers’ kindness alone.
One piece of advice written on one of the napkins is especially important to the family, Moore said.
“On one of the last ones, a person had written down they were adopted 64 years ago and ‘Us adopted kids need extra love,'” Moore said. “It was nice to have that person on that plane who gave us the foresight and helped us realize everything will be fine. We want our daughter to live a good life and be a wonderful person. That person being on the plane was serendipitous.”
