It all came together like a perfect storm. My son was asked to interview for scholarships at the university his brother attends, so we planned the trip up. It happened to coincide with our daughter’s break from school (for Mardi Gras) and put us within a half hour of a university she wanted to talk to about their graduate program. To top it all off, a woman my son met through the university (her son is the basketball coach my son is an assistant to!) invited me to visit with her book club, who read Wings of a Dream!
My part in the weekend was scheduled for Sunday at 2pm. My son’s event was that evening and the next morning and my daughter’s appointments were Monday morning as well. We left early Sunday morning, planning to reach town in time to pick up our middle son to join us for lunch before I met with the book club ladies.
But you know what they say about best laid plans . . .
An hour and a half into our trip from Texas to Arkansas, we blew a tire–literally in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma. While the guys tried to change it, I got on the phone with AAA, just in case. The dispatcher and service trucks never could figure out exactly where we were before we managed to get the spare on. Then we had to drive 45 more minutes to the nearest town. From previous trips up, we knew there was a Walmart there and that they would be open. An hour and a half later, we were back on the road with two new tires in place. Not an auspicious start to our trip. But God is good, and by His grace I managed to stay at peace even though I had to call and say I would be late.
We drove straight to the book club meeting, arriving a half hour after the expected time. The houseful of lovely ladies graciously welcomed me in. It was such a joy to get to know them. And what an incredible blessing to listen to them talk about Wings of a Dream–the parts that made them think, made them laugh, made them cry. What a privilege to share with them a little bit about my writing journey and my other books. And how humbling to sign their copies and pose for pictures.
In spite of the beginning of the day, the end turned out even more wonderful than I expected. It wasn’t just about doing an event or selling a few books. It was making new friends. There is no greater blessing than that!
The lovely, gracious ladies of the Siloam Springs book club.
I love this story! And I’m so happy you made it and kept your peace.
I know! Keeping my peace was the most amazing part. Hubby was more stressed about me being late than I was. I didn’t even get to change in to my “cute” outfit (because I didn’t want to change in the nasty Walmart bathroom!). And they liked me anyway. 🙂
It sounds quite like an adventure! I’m glad you had a nice time (even if it didn’t go as planned)!
Thanks, Shirley! I’m glad it all turned out well.
What a great story! Sorry about the blowout – please don’t blame Oklahoma! Siloam Springs is a delightful town, and this looks like an equally delightful group of ladies. I love book clubs!
Lol! You know I love Oklahoma–and its people. 🙂
What do you mean? You have on your cute outfit! This sounds like so much fun. I’m glad you enjoyed the day in spite of the way it began. Sound like so much fun.
Ha! What you can’t see are my stretched out, not cute jeans. I managed to changed sweaters in the car but not the pants. But yes, it was fun anyway. And no one seemed to snub their nose at my jeans. 🙂
So glad you were still able to make your meeting! We had similar experiences driving through Pennsylvania (longest road trip ever nine years ago and we never took another one) and the Burtons have officially banned Pennsylvania, lol.
Love the pics, and what a memory you have created for those lovely ladies! Congrats!
Yes, there are some pretty desolate stretches in PA, too. We’ve criss-crossed that state many times. I hope I created a lovely memory for the ladies. I know they did for me!
Ahh the book club part sounds like so much fun–the blown tire probably not so much. 🙂 But I’m glad you made it there!
Me, too!
The day (after the flat tire) sounds lovely. I am thrilled that you got to experience a book club. They are such fun, and as a book club member, I really enjoy talking with authors! And meeting one would be very special.
How did the rest of the trip go?
And I thought of you while I was there, Becky! 🙂
The rest of the trip was fine. Won’t know about scholarships for a couple of weeks, I imagine, though I’m not holding my breath. And visiting a grad school helped Elizabeth clarify a bit what she does and doesn’t want to do.