A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER!

        The Young People are on their annual ski retreat this weekend and for the first time in several years, Joyce and I are not with them.  There is a good reason for our absence.  Our grandson, Parker, is celebrating his second birthday!  There was no way we would miss his party, but we did miss his birth—because we were on the annual youth ski retreat!

        We didn’t plan it that way.  In fact, until the very last minute Joyce was unsure where she would be that weekend.  Our daughter, Della, went to the doctor on Wednesday and was told it would probably be another two weeks before the baby would come.  I remember hearing Joyce on the phone saying, “Well if that’s the case, I’m going on the ski retreat with the youth.”

        We were watching the weather forecast all week because they were calling for snow that Friday.  Our concern was getting to the mountains!  Just the opposite is true this year.  Sadly, the unseasonable warm weather may close the ski slopes.  The leaders have other plans of course, but it is sad to go on a ski retreat without any snow. 

        Two years ago we feared there would be too much snow!  I recall contacting all the parents to move the departure time up on Friday afternoon.  It was one of those cold, dismal days when the clouds looked ready to burst open any minute.  The temperatures were in the 20s.  When it started falling, it would be snow and it would stick! 

        We loaded into several cars and trucks.  Because of the weather we didn’t feel it was safe to take the bus.  I had my trusty Chevrolet Colorado weighted with concrete blocks in the back to gain more traction. 

        We gathered at the church Friday afternoon and the excitement was palatable.  We kept looking to the sky.  The clouds were “pregnant” with snow. (A sign-perhaps!)  “It could start any minute,” we said.

        We left the church in a caravan and headed up Highway 52.  When we reached Winston and turned on I-40 it started snowing!  At first it was a fine mist of sorts, but then it started in earnest and by the time we reached 421, the roads were getting covered. 

        Cell phones are wonderful inventions for times like that.  We were talking to the other cars.  All the kids were excited.  All the drivers were nervous.  We were thinking about the climb up the mountain as we approached Boone. 

        We stopped in Wilkesboro at a Subway for supper.  The parking lot was white and the kids were already finding enough snow to form snowballs.  Those of us driving had a quick meeting of the minds.  “We need to be careful, extremely careful,” we all said.

        By the time we reached the bottom of the mountain on 421, the roads were white.  Traffic was very thin.  Most people were staying home and here we were taking a bunch of kids into the heart of the snowy weather!  We had all slowed down, not going over 25-30 mph. 

        The young people sensed our apprehension and there was a tense silence in all the vehicles.  The talk became measured and more serious.  The snow was coming down so fast visibility was very restricted.  We could see flashing blue lights on the southbound lanes, the downward side.  A number of vehicles had skidded off the road.  We also passed several cars and trucks attempting to go up that were unsuccessful.  We realized that we were just about the only cars on the road.  Our slow ascent continued—methodically, carefully, and nervously.  We didn’t see a single vehicle coming down the southbound lanes.  Then we realized that the Highway Patrol had closed the highway!  At least the downward side.  We wondered how far we would go before they would stop us. 

        We finally made it to the top of the mountain but still had ten miles to go before we reached Boone and another five miles to our destination in Valle Crucis.  Joyce called Della to see how she was doing.  It was snowing hard in Raleigh and they were advising everyone to stay off the roads.  Della said she was going to bed.  Joyce told her they would talk in the morning.

        Our slow trek continued into Boone.  We knew we only a few miles left to go, but one of our drivers, Kyle Kepley, had tire trouble.  He changed the tire in the snow and we were ready for the final push.  The good Lord was with us as we safely arrived at our destination.  The only trouble we had was getting up the hill to the lodge!

        It was a picture-perfect snow.  It snowed almost a foot that night in the mountains.  We woke up the next morning to a winter wonderland.  Skiing was perfect.  That night after a good meal we all sat around a roaring fire and talked about life and God’s calling.  It was one of those unforgettable moments when the group was tuned in and the message resonated loud and clear. 

        It snowed so much in Lexington that church was cancelled on Sunday.  But we had a wonderful service with the youth in the mountains.  All was well—but here is the rest of the story!

        Everyone went to bed Friday night with the snow falling.  I slept well and woke up the next morning looking forward to a great day.  I put on my snow boots and trudged through the foot of new fallen snow to the lodge.  Walking into the lodge, I could smell bacon frying!  I poured myself a cup of hot coffee and savored the moment.  It couldn’t get any better than this, I thought.  Little did I know what had happened while I was sleeping.

        Joyce and the girls went to sleep around 11:00 o’clock.  At some point after midnight one of the girls woke Joyce to tell her that her phone was beeping.  Joyce looked at the phone.  Della had been calling.  She was trying to get to the hospital in Raleigh.  The baby was on the way!

        Della woke up a little after 11 and realized she was in labor.  Ryan, her husband, borrowed his dad’s 4 wheel drive vehicle and they started to the hospital in the snowstorm.  The roads were covered and icy.  A trip that normally took 25 minutes took over an hour.  Just as she walked into the ER waiting room, her water broke.

        Joyce was texting Della back and forth all night.  The plan was for Joyce to be with her when the baby was born, but that was not an option.  Our oldest daughter, Lynn, was at her job at Durham Regional Hospital due to the weather.  She jumped in her car and made the slow and dangerous drive to Rex Hospital in Raleigh.  Just after 5 a.m., Parker Jennings was born.  I was sound asleep, not aware of all the drama going on. 

        When Joyce came into the lodge that morning I asked her how she slept.  She didn’t say a word!  Just looked at me!  Then she informed me that I had another grandson!

        We will be celebrating Parker’s 2^nd birthday this weekend.  It is supposed to be in the 60s and balmy.  The kids are in the snowless mountains on a ski retreat.  They have no doubt talked about the amazing ski retreat two years ago in the snow.  It will be a weekend we will never forget.

        Happy Birthday Parker!