Thursday, November 5, 2009

Oct. 30, 2009

Sometimes there is a reason it takes forever to drive 65 miles. Today I left Atlanta, Georgia with all good intention of making Jacksonville, Florida. I have been told Jacksonville is a fun, energized city. Far enough north, hurricanes are not a real concern, and offers four seasons with mild winters, Jacksonville, if I can ever get there, seems to be close to what I might enjoy.  With its colleges, lots of water, growing population, affordable, mild weather, and friendly people just might be a good possibility. But I didn’t make it today.

Getting on Georgia 400 heading south, it took me close to 4 hours to drive 65 miles. No kidding, 4 hours! Coming out of Atlanta in the midst of a dark dense fog, with drizzly damp muggy rain the traffic was moving at a snail’s pace at 10 – 15 miles an hour! This was worse than driving Route 128 around Boston during rush hour in a snow storm. This reminded me of when I got stuck on the George Washington Bridge at 3 o’clock in the afternoon on a Friday in the rain and I had to go to the bathroom! Talk about bladder control.

But as they say, and I don’t know who they is, but “as they say, there is a reason for everything.” Finally making Macon, usually an hour and a half trip, I pull into a Days Inn and register for the night. Now I won’t say that the receptionist was overly warm or the brightest light bulb in the box, but to her credit, she did steer me in the right direction for Applebee’s.

Arriving at the Applebee’s, I am greeted by the waitress from heaven, Cayla. Cayla reads my mind and brings me a glass of wine served with the brightest smile and a story to tell. When we start to chat, she asks me where I am from and I tell her about my fund raiser, seems her great uncle is suffering from Alzheimer’s, and you could tell from the look in her eyes, it breaks her heart.

I must introduce you to this delightful person. Cayla is a sophomore at Mercer University majoring in math and international studies. Hoping to graduated early, her attention is to go to med school, then focus on medical research for diseases affecting third world countries. Nineteen years old, and her heart is in the right place. I love this part, when she was 13, she followed family tradition and spent a month in Alaska staying with her grandparents and visiting an aunt. Now how cool is that! Last summer she spent time doing mission work in Brazil, and hopes to go to Africa.

This girl is a charmer. Not only is she a straight A college student, she works, tutors high school and college math students, and does mission work. Yes, there is hope in the next generation.

Thank you Calya - you go girl!!
Sandy