On a wing and a prayer
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="Please">Please</span> <span word="explain">explain</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="sentence">sentence</span>: “<span word="He">He</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="mother">mother</span> <span word="traveled">traveled</span>, <span word="living">living</span> <span word="sometimes">sometimes</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="wing">wing</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="prayer">prayer</span>.” <span word="What">What</span> <span word="does">does</span> “<span word="on">on</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="wing">wing</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="prayer">prayer</span>” <span word="mean">mean</span>?</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="He">He</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="mother">mother</span> <span word="used">used</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="move">move</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="lot">lot</span>, <span word="from">from</span> <span word="place">place</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="place">place</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="didn">didn</span>'<span word="t">t</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="everything">everything</span>. <span word="Sometimes">Sometimes</span>, <span word="things">things</span> <span word="got">got</span> <span word="desperate">desperate</span>. <span word="They">They</span> <span word="may">may</span> <span word="run">run</span> <span word="out">out</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="food">food</span>, <span word="for">for</span> <span word="example">example</span>.</p><p><span word="When">When</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="settle">settle</span> <span word="down">down</span>, <span word="you">you</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="your">your</span> <span word="own">own</span> <span word="home">home</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="houseful">houseful</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="things">things</span>, <span word="furniture">furniture</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="kitchen">kitchen</span> <span word="utensils">utensils</span>, <span word="everything">everything</span>.</p><p><span word="Not">Not</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="travel">travel</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="speaker">speaker</span> <span word="kind">kind</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="likened">likened</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="bird">bird</span> <span word="flying">flying</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="wing">wing</span>.</p><p><span word="That">That</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="idea">idea</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="doing">doing</span> <span word="something">something</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="wing">wing</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="prayer">prayer</span>, <span word="an">an</span> <span word="American">American</span> <span word="idiom">idiom</span>.</p><p><span word="Birds">Birds</span> <span word="fly">fly</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="wings">wings</span>, <span word="of">of</span> <span word="course">course</span>. <span word="Eagles">Eagles</span>, <span word="for">for</span> <span word="example">example</span>, <span word="spread">spread</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="wings">wings</span> <span word="wide">wide</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="glide">glide</span> <span word="through">through</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="sky">sky</span>, <span word="surveying">surveying</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="earth">earth</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="great">great</span> <span word="ease">ease</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="elegance">elegance</span>.</p><p><span word="Now">Now</span> <span word="imagine">imagine</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="bird">bird</span> <span word="losing">losing</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="wing">wing</span> <span word="due">due</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="injury">injury</span>.</p><p><span word="Well">Well</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="flutter">flutter</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="big">big</span> <span word="butterfly">butterfly</span> <span word="if">if</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="tries">tries</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="all">all</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="take">take</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="sky">sky</span>. <span word="With">With</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="good">good</span> <span word="wing">wing</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="eagle">eagle</span> <span word="won">won</span>'<span word="t">t</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="able">able</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="balance">balance</span>, <span word="hence">hence</span> <span word="losing">losing</span> <span word="all">all</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="ease">ease</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="comfort">comfort</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="sky">sky</span>, <span word="let">let</span> <span word="alone">alone</span> <span word="beauty">beauty</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="elegance">elegance</span>.</p><p><span word="As">As</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="matter">matter</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="fact">fact</span>, <span word="though">though</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="expression">expression</span> “<span word="on">on</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="wing">wing</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="prayer">prayer</span>” <span word="originally">originally</span> <span word="referred">referred</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="bird">bird</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="airplane">airplane</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="wing">wing</span> <span word="injured">injured</span>. <span word="When">When</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="pilot">pilot</span> <span word="manages">manages</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="make">make</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="safe">safe</span> <span word="landing">landing</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="damaged">damaged</span> <span word="aircraft">aircraft</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="that">that</span>, <span word="he">he</span> <span word="apparently">apparently</span> <span word="needs">needs</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="say">say</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="prayer">prayer</span> – <span word="or">or</span> <span word="two">two</span>.</p><p><span word="That">That</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="the">the</span> “<span word="prayer">prayer</span>” <span word="part">part</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="call">call</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="high">high</span> <span word="heavens">heavens</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="help">help</span> – <span word="desperate">desperate</span> <span word="help">help</span>.</p>
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