The sun is shining. Everything is green and fresh and the air is clear beneath a blue sky. What a difference a day makes.
I had a wedding at the Silver Lake Country Club in Orland Park yesterday afternoon, and knew how much time the drive would take because I had attended the rehearsal the previous afternoon. But because the weather was threatening thunderstorms, I left an hour earlier than before. The ensuing drive was truly terrible.
It wasn’t just the amount of traffic. In fact, by the time I reached I-294 for the drive south, traffic was moving – slowly but still moving. It was driving along side streets in order to reach the ramp to the expressway that was the problem. Tree branches, even small trees, were knocked down by the sudden gusts of wind, and the bypass lanes were one-lane and very crowded. I phoned the couple’s cell phone to let them know of my predicament, and they were very understanding. In fact, all of their guests were in similar situations.
I arrived at the country club and parked my car exactly at the moment the wedding was scheduled to start — 6:30 pm. My usual practice is to get to a venue 30 minutes ahead of time, this was unprecedented. But guests were only beginning to make their way down to the site so my timing was not a problem. And wonder of wonders, the sun came out to shine on this very special couple, and all of us there. I told the bride: “I don’t know who your connection is for weather up there, but it’s a good one!!!” We all laughed, and celebrated their lovely wedding.