SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2024 HOLIDAY TRAVEL

 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2024 TRIPS

I was reminded this week of Thanksgiving trips.  It can be a challenge to travel on Thanksgiving weekend.  

FIRST TRIP STORY

This was a pleasant trip. Our son had never really dated. We got a note that he was dating a lady from his church and that we could come for Thanksgiving. We flew to Omaha (from Connecticut) and then drove to Grand Island. We stayed with Steve at his apartment on an inflated air mattress. We joined the family for lunch at Sara’s grandmother’s house. It was a special time—meeting Sara and her family.

SECOND STORY

In my first year teaching at the University of Texas, I taught on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  We were driving to Nebraska to be with the family. The campus took Wednesday through Sunday off. I rode the bus to Leander, and we started north in the rain.  Interstate 35 was being rebuilt around Waco, Texas.  It was narrow.  The interstate highway went from three wide lanes to two narrow lanes and around construction curves.  To this day, I am amazed that we are alive.  There was one place where the car in front of me suddenly stopped.  I slammed on my brakes, and the car behind me missed hitting our car by a hair.  We could have been a sandwich between the two cars, and God was watching over us.  

That was deeply etched in my brain.

We got to Oklahoma and stayed the night at a hotel just off I-35 on an Indian reservation, and I literally had to pry my fingers off the steering wheel—rain, traffic, construction - and wanting to get up the road.

THIRD STORY

In South Dakota, we generally drove to Rosemount, Minnesota, for Thanksgiving with Connie’s family. A snowstorm came through and closed the roads. Several friends from Dakota State who also canceled their travel plans got together for a makeshift Thanksgiving dinner.  It was a lot of fun. 

FOURTH STORY

A couple of years later, in South Dakota, we weren’t traveling and had Thanksgiving dinner at home with friends from campus. The next day (“Black Friday”), we planned shopping in Sioux Falls. We had freezing rain overnight and got on Interstate 29, which, within two miles, had spun around 360 degrees. Cars and trucks were in the ditch, and we decided we could live without the bargains. We crawled to the first exit and took gravel roads back to Madison.  (Gravel roads were safer than paved roads for ice cover.) 

FIFTH STORY

We were in Connecticut, flying to Texas for Christmas.  We were flying Delta Airlines with a stop at Cincinnati airport.  The previous night, Cincinnati had an ice storm, and we were on one of the first flights to land there.  The terminal was full of cots as passengers couldn’t complete their flights from the previous day. While it wasn’t a distraction to us, walking through a terminal with cots and people wrapped in blankets was weird.

Additional note.  We arrived in Austin to visit Becky and Matt, but they were coming back the day after Christmas.  We were hungry when we arrived, and there were no restaurants open.  We finally found an open IHOP before getting to our hotel for the night.

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Now, all of us have stories - and many have travel stories.  Life can (and should) be an adventure.  We can’t control the weather or other drivers.  

Families are important to me, but traveling over holidays can bring more excitement and adventure than we really want.

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But it isn’t just holiday travel.  Last week, a driver was killed about half a mile from where I live.  Seemingly, the driver (westbound) wanted to turn into a shopping area, but coming out of that area was a car wanting to go east.  The vehicle coming out needed to move quickly because the cars coming were going fast, and the driver finally had a gap to get out.  Bam!!  The two vehicles hit and were unable to stop one of the eastbound cars, which also bumped into the accident. 

 

So, accidents can occur at any time.  Don’t be stupid - if you have to wait - then wait, don’t pull out because you have been waiting for two minutes!!!  Or find another way to get into the shopping area and get out.  Think.  (Aside from that, I have been avoiding that area by going four blocks out of my way to a traffic light to get on that road safely.)

The adage goes, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Grumbling and complaining don’t help. Smile, adjust, and realize that things happen.  

Life is an adventure, Love is an adventure - and I say “LOVE WINS.”  

“In Everything, Give Thanks, for This is the Will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Karen Anne White, November 30, 2024