We met some incredible people at AOPA and well, frankly, it's just nice to know we're making a difference out there. 

One gentleman explained how he came to AOPA Summit to try and find his courage to fly again.  He had a close call a few years ago.  He was supposed to fly with another pilot but was unable to make it.  Then 45 minutes later, the plane reportedly went down.  To this day no one knows what caused the accident.  Everyone aboard was killed.  Since then he has had a fear of flying yet his dream has always been to fly into all 50 states.  He said he was finding his fire again, partly through our story.  I cannot tell you what that means. 

After losing her son 25 years ago in a plane crash, one woman visited Hope One and explained that she came to the show to help her high school age son pursue his dream of flying too.  She explained her own personal story as well.  As she shared, she survived a horrific car accident some years back and completely lost her memory.  She retrained herself to hold a fork, to move her arms, and to learn.  After much frustration she figured out that if she thought the opposite of what she was trying to accomplish the motor skill would come back to her.  Then through the process, her memory of family and her life began coming back too.  It was a two year journey.  It really hit home for me because it was so similar to my experience.  

Those kinds of comments drive me forward and inspire me in turn.  Both Michele and I feeling renewed through the experience.  What a great experience.  Hopefully others got as much out of it as we did.