We are taking some time off - celebrating 40 years of marriage – We left Sunday afternoon.  We have traveled much further than we did 40 years ago. We are looking forward to some time to relax, read, enjoy the sound of the waves and get some rest. I was reflecting on the trip from Fort Wayne, Indiana to Fort Walton Beach, Florida and decided it was a good trip. Below is just a little good news/bad news related to the trip.

  • Good news – vacation began Sunday
  • Bad news – we started much later than we (I) was hoping
  • Good news – we made it through Indianapolis just in time for the Indy 500 to end – we beat the traffic
  • Good news – we had packed deli wraps to eat on the way (one of the reasons for the delayed start) – no delays stopping for food
  • Good news – made great time -
  • Bad news – traffic stopped on I-65 around mile marker 109 in Tennessee – at mile marker 106 there was a sign that there was an accident at mile-marker 103. An hour later we finally passed the accident site. A semi on its side; a broken guard rail; a child’s saftey seat in the middle of the road. No sign of emergency vehicle – we assume they had already gone.
  • So-so news – our lodging just south of Nashville was an older facility than expected – room seemed  clean but came with a strange odor. Breakfast the next morning was provided by the hotel. There was a lady serving what is usually a self-serve breakfast – she was more of a guardian than a server – I think assuring that no one took too much food.
  • Good news – the rest of the trip was uneventful – long, but no accidents and punctuated periodically with showers
  • Good news – we arrived safely in Fort Walton Beach, Florida – much more thankful than we had been if we hadn’t seen the accident on Sunday evening
  • Good news – we found our lodging as promised and settled in – took a walk on the beach – found a Thai restaurant for dinner (good food) and Baskin-Robbins for a scoop of ice-cream

We were reminded earlier that Jesus often took time away and I’m sure his escapes were not always uneventful. The unplanned events make the trip memorable. They become the subject of stories.