Sully's mindset when I met Him

Being in radio as a deejay has given me the opportunity to meet some very incredible people...of course there was Boz. Not that it was a radio event, but I could quickly pitch in my 30 second elevator speech, "that all formats I worked at in radio we played one of his songs"-at least it gave me some credibility in those brief moments that I will savor forever! , lol, But then there was Kenny Loggins, Tony Bennett, Smokey Robinson, David Sanborn, Dionne Warwick, Anne Murray, the band Chicago, Ray Parker, Sports figures, Rock n Roll musicians, and then there was Sully. Captain Sully, the miracle on the Hudson airline pilot.
I was emceeing a concert at a local venue in Danville. The opportunity dropped in my lap because I had worked with Jim at Primetime Entertainment when I emceed for a KKSF gig. He offered me the summer concert series to emcee at Blackhawk Plaza. A bit nervous, as this is not the Radio booth, this is upfront and in front of everyone, so I strolled around the plaza killing some time before I was to take the stage. I looked across the atrium and there was Sully. I was a bit star struck, I thought how terrific to see him there and approached him for a photo. What a sweet gentleman he was, as he obliged. But his wife stopped Me for a moment and asked what I was doing with the photo. I explained to her I was emceeing and it is always so fun to collect photos of my events, and I might post it on Facebook, she accepted my answer and there we posed. Of course I proudly displayed it on Facebook and received hundreds of likes, and I thought how cool it was that little 'ol Me had that opportunity. Now we have a big screen movie out on Sully- the ever so talented Tom Hanks playing him. (Academy Award material in my opinion) I of course waited for release date and again posted my photo on my Facebook page with Sully, the "likes" came rolling in once again. I knew I had to see this movie, and so I set out to do so today. What happened to Me while watching the movie was a complete surprise. The overwhelming emotion of sadness came over Me within the first 30 seconds of the movie. I couldn't believe the tears streaming down my face, and how my chest hurt and my whole body felt so heavy while sitting there, I quickly calculated when was it that I posed with Sully- it was during the NTSB interrogations. I realized I was clueless as I stood there with him at the plaza that day in July. I realized, as he was our hero, he was tormented, yet I didn't know, I had no idea what this gentle man had endured. What his wife endured, his daughters. Here I was so giddy with being able to brag about my meeting and there Sully was processing all that had reoccured that day back in January 2009, how silly of Me, I can only hope he is at peace with his heroic act, and I can only hope I know in the future when meeting one of my stars I reflect on where they are at in that moment of their life. Radio has given me many opportunities, but this one was the best gift ever. Dang, Sweet Sully, always a hero.