A River Runs Through It

Sometimes the greatest memories and the funniest stories occur out of unplanned events. My friends, Chad and Tracy, came to Louisville this weekend from sunny Georgia to participate in a wedding at our church. Since their move South in January, Chad hadn't been back to Louisville, so his short few days here were extremely packed with activities.

Friday evening was slated as the time that Chad and Tracy would spend with the rest of the OPCs (a Ya-Ya like sisterhood, there's a story there) after the wedding rehearsal. We all gathered at my house and waited patiently for them to arrive. Christie and I had seen them in August, but Beth and Amy hadn't seen Chad since they left in January. As the rain came pouring down, we were comfy inside my hilltop home enjoying the company of best friends.

We had a grand time. I bought those yummy Pillsbury cookies that require no cooking skill whatsoever. Tracy has an affinity for those cookies and they were always a staple for every gathering - this time was no exception. Getting everyone together was a challenge. Saturday was a busy day for the attendees - Beth had to work, Amy was moving her grandmother, and the rest of us had a wedding to attend. But, aside from a few thundering booms and lightning flashes, we laughed and talked into the night, unaware of what was happening in the rest of the Louisville area...

Finally, around 1am, we decided to call it a night. Everyone headed to their cars and down the hill to exit my community and head their separate ways. But, as they headed to the bottom of the hill, they found a raging river across the only entrance and exit to my community. Amy walked back in and said, "We can't leave, there's a raging river down there." I was amazed. I'd lived here for 5 years and never seen that sort of flooding before. Chad and Tracy were determined to get through, so the remaining four of us went down there to talk sense into them. Amy, being raised in the country, was the "raging river" expert. She advised them not to attempt to cross lest they be swept away with no hope. They said they wouldn't and we drove back home, watching in our rearview mirror to see if they'd try to gun it across, but thankfully they didn't.

Thus began the Impromptu Slumber Party. It would have been a lot more fun had we all not had commitments early the next day. Beth had to be at work at 6am and was fretting that she'd get fired for not getting there. Chad had a 10 hour drive after the wedding the next day and needed his sleep. And, Amy, although she had to move her grandmother the next day was somewhat excited at the possibility of being stranded together. Amy always brings the lighthearted side to every situation.

We turned on the TV and realized the whole city was being deluged with water. Many streets and even part of the interstates were shut down and more rain was expected. Although it helped to know it wasn't just us, it didn't ease our anxiety about escaping the next day. The covenant God made to never flood the earth again gave me confidence that we may need a small ark, but that it wouldn't consume our whole world. All of us tried to get some sleep and pray for the rain to stop.

You are probably wondering, so what happened next? Well, Beth was able to get out at 5:30 as the raging river had subsided. The rest of the troop escaped at 7am while the getting was good and Amy successfully moved her grandmother. We had a couple of tragedies. In cleaning up the kitchen, I inadvertently poured out what I thought was a cup of water someone had been drinking when really it was Chad's contacts. Tracy was able to retrieve one out of the sink, but the other one met its demise down the drain. Christie lost a pair of earrings she had just received from Tracy for her birthday, but they gloriously appeared on my driveway the next morning. And, after the floods subsided, part of my street cracked and collapsed. It's still not safe to pass on the side that remains intact, but I've escaped a couple of times now and awaiting the repair work to be done, praying that it doesn't give way.

You just never know how a well-planned party is going to turn out....