Errors and Solutions. We made it to our granddaughter’s wedding in Oxford, England and had a great time with family and forming new friends from the groom’s side. We had fun, fine food and even the weather was good.
Along the way, I often recalled the words of Epictetus, the Stoic philosopher, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” We had a long series of issues that could well be described as a comedy of errors.
- The Friday before we left, we were trying to dot our i’s and cross our t’s. Jeny takes a heart pill. She must take it every day. She ordered it well ahead of time for it to be delivered on Friday. The UPS plane had problems. UPS told Jeny that since Monday was Labor Day the delivery would be Tuesday. Well that would not work since Tuesday we would be on a plane. It took a trip to UPS, several phone calls and prayers, but eventually a very nice UPS employee made sure Jeny got her pills on Saturday.
- Next we went to the safe we seldom use to retrieve our passports. It would not open. Another very nice person who worked for the safe company talked Jeny through changing the batteries (which was easy after I made a trip to buy new ones) and then cleaning corroded nodes (which was not easy). The internet said use vinegar the safe employee said use hydrogen peroxide. Peroxide is correct!
- Next we had arranged for driver’s in England but I thought we might need the UBER app. Downloading the app involved taking pictures of driver’s licenses and insurance cards. After several unsuccessful attempts I gave up. Then we got an email that informed me, the picture showed that my driver’s license had expired. I checked and sure enough, Jeny and I had been driving for four months on expired licenses. I quickly got on-line and renewed our licenses.
- On Friday I called the credit card companies to let them know we would be out of country. I thought one person did not understand why I was calling. I double checked later and she had not entered the information correctly. We would have been without the card if I had not rechecked.
- On Tuesday we were all set. Then, in the Atlanta airport, Jeny was walking about 10 yards to the restroom when a young person knocked her down. She got a few bruises and turned her ankle. She has been in ankle pain for two weeks. She was a real trooper and fought the pain throughout the rest of our trip.
- Next, we checked into our hotel which was very nice, but our room was a long way from the elevator and involved two sets of stairs. It was a real struggle for Jeny on her bad ankle.
- Other than the wedding, our one outing was to the home of C. S. Lewis. We showed up at 1 for our private tour only to be informed they expected us at 10. A wonderful guide took care of us but had to squeeze us in between regular tours.
- Then when we got ready to leave his home we could not reach our previous driver and the guide struggled to find a ride for us. A very nice couple offered to give us a ride back. He is a faculty member at Andrews University, a Seventh Day Adventist college in Michigan. We had a meaningful visit and deeply appreciated their kindness.
- On Sunday came the big oops! We were resting and received a call that our driver was here to take us to Heathrow airport. We panicked. We thought he was to come on Monday. After much scrambling, including packing and checking out, we realized our flight was Monday and our travel agent had made a mistake. We had to dismiss the driver, recheck into the hotel and with the help of a very nice clerk we got a room much closer to the elevator. In the scramble I lost a hearing aid. Our travel agent was very apologetic and made arrangements for a driver the next day.
- Our final issue occurred when we arrived in Atlanta, it was late and there were not many wheelchair attendants. One person handled two chairs. When we got through customs there was only one working elevator to take all of the wheel chairs down to the train level. It took 30 minutes of waiting, but it was the final problem. We arrived in Mobile on time.
Wow. Many problems for any couple — for 80-year-old people it was very difficult. But solutions came every time. We were blessed, we are thankful.
The Grandchildren. Our sons, Scott and Shane, and their wives, Laura and Sherrie made the trip, as did Dawn’s husband and his wife Stacy. We are particularly proud that our grandchildren could be there. The first cousins were “looking good!”
On the left is Kern. He is Scott’s oldest, a lobbyist for the Materials Protection trade association in Washington DC.
Next is Emily. She is an MD and is married to Miller.
Miller is next. He is Scott’s youngest and is an investment banker in Birmingham.
Next is Andrea the beautiful bride. She is Dawn’s eldest and on a Post Doc at one of the Oxford colleges.
Next is Ashton. She is Shane’s eldest and a corporate bankruptcy attorney in Atlanta.
Next is Kyle. He is Dawn’s youngest and a top chef in Grand Rapids.
Libby, Shane’s youngest could not be there because she was beginning her first week of classes in the MFA program for actors at Columbia University.
This and That
Our hotel, The Randolph was very old and the elevator (and the showers) were very small. One time when we entered the elevator, a man with a cane noted Jeny’s cane. He said “I am not running any more either.” I asked him where he was from. He said Gulf Shores, Alabama. He had a granddaughter attending Oxford. He and his wife knew where our cottage in Gulf Shores is located.
Small World!!
I was in awe of the Oxford university architecture. Building after building constructed years ago by craftsmen without modern tools. The planning, the labor, and the craftmanship were amazing.
Good News
Courage
Kindness
8-Year-Old Girl Bursts Into Tears Meeting The Donor Who Saved Her Life (sunnyskyz.com)
Peace,
Jerry
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