I am participating in the 31 Days of Free Writes October challenge. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. (Confession: I *may* not be able to resist spell-checking!)
Today’s prompt: Story
I have a story to tell you. I’m not proud of it, but there’s a moral, for sure.
My husband’s 90-year-old Aunt flew from south Florida to Tallahassee/Thomasville this weekend to attend my niece’s beautiful wedding.
Wayne picked her up at the Tallahassee airport and we delivered her to her hotel in Thomasville. Mistake number one (assumption number one) was that the family members staying at the hotel would transport her to the wedding, since they were all at the same hotel and we would be traveling up from Tallahassee.
As family member after family member filed into the wedding venue, we thought “hmm…guess Aunt Mary will be with the next family member.”
Eventually, we realized that we were out of family members and there was no Aunt Mary to be found.
That is because she was (wait for it) still in the lobby at the hotel waiting for a ride.
After considerable scrambling around and the very generous services of a family friend who was not at the wedding, she was delivered to the wedding venue ….. just as the bride and groom walked down the aisle for the first time as husband and wife.
This is not a story I am proud of …. not our lack of communication …. not our inability to somehow teleport her there in time to see the nuptials she had gone to considerable expense to see. It was a “family fail” in every way.
There’s no epilogue — just maybe a new book to be written: How to get “married” with making sure “Mary” is merry (not to mention actually there….)
The moral is not novel or earthshattering, but after our experience it bears repeating: never assume.
Wife of one, Mom of two, Friend of many. My pronouns are she/her/hers.
Isn’t it so frustrating sometimes? I’m glad she made it there. But I too am bummed she missed the nuptials
Right? I think she had a good time anyway. It was a beautiful south Georgia night and we were all together (eventually!) so there’s that.
Oh, you brought back a memory. During my senior year in high school, I was one Saturday playing tennis with my best friend David, when all of a sudden he dropped his racket and shouted, “Oh, no!”
I thought he had been stung by a bee or something, and when I asked him, he said, “I’ve got to pick up my grandmother at the airport!”
“When?”
“Three hours ago!”
Like Queen Victoria, Grandma was not amused.
A ha ha ha yes! I have to thank all of you who have commented so graciously, because we really deserve to be raked over the coals. It’s easy to think “why weren’t those family members at the hotel more considerate of an elderly relative?” BUT ….. we don’t get any “consideration” points either since we didn’t even send a text to check. It’s funny because when she arrived at the airport Friday and hubs was on his way, she texted ME to find out where we were. I wish she had done that Saturday night when no one showed up to pick her up (not that it is her fault in any way, just ironic….). Thank you for showing grace.
Great story, great lesson, great ending. Thanks, Al
HA! A little (lot) embarrassing but I am committed to writing what comes to mind when I see the prompt, so there we go. 🙂
Oh dear! Communication breakdowns cause so many problems.
I have a feeling that is a story that will be laughed about in the future because what else is there to do?
There is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING to do but laugh about it, Christy! (And resolve to communicate better in the future.)
Why is it that these kinds of stories make the biggest impact? Oh, right. Because they MADE the biggest impact! So glad you were all together at last!
Right?! Unforgettable, for sure. At least we made a special effort to go to her 90th birthday party in April (and we were on time — we didn’t even forget anyone!). 🙂
That’s a great book title!! So glad you realized she was not there. Sweet Aunt Mary. Glad it all worked out and that she wasn’t entirely forgotten! xx
Right?! Seriously — it really just defies so much — my tendency to overplan/overcheck. So. Much. Our family is FULL of young adult women — it wouldn’t surprise me if there is another wedding in the next year or two. Maybe we’ll get an opportunity to redeem ourselves LOL.
ugh… that’s a killer to the party! Yes, it is true…. assuming the situation is not the answer to the situation. 🙂 Glad she was able to still make it for some part of it! (Stopping by from FMF) Happy Friday to you!
Too bad it was such a brief ceremony. If it had been the full mass her sister had last November, she would have arrived mid-ceremony! 🙂
Oh my. Sad (especially for Mary), humbling and just a bit funny (well, maybe in hindsight).
ALL of that. :-/
I would not share this on Facebook because – I have family as Facebook friends. It’s a relief,, in a way, to know other families have communication breakdowns. I wouldn’t dare to blog about any of them. Yikes.
I often say — OFTEN — that I am glad I was not a blogger when my kids were little. I probably would have been one of the insufferable ones going on and on about mucus colors and incidents my kids would not want committed to the internet. // In this case, it was such a public thing — although not everyone of the 300 attendees at the ceremony knew of the mini-crisis — everyone related to this aunt did. I’m poking fun mostly at myself (while also shaking a fist at myself…..). This won’t happen again.
Oh this gave me all the giggles, because I can so imagine my family in this scenario! Glad she made it! All the real fun happens at the reception anyways right? lol
Well – it WAS a phenomenal reception so there’s that! 🙂
Still giggling…and remembering how many times my siblings and I were left at church 🙂 But it makes me think of how we need to watch out for those who depend on us. That we should never assume they’ll come to us if they’re in need.
Oh coming to you as your neighbor on FMF 🙂
Right?!?! I have thought so many times since then, as we were enjoying getting ready (hair, makeup, looking our best) WHYYYY I didn’t take two seconds to send a text to confirm she was being picked up. Hopefully somehow she turns it into a funny story!! 🙂