A short time ago, I was sent on a last minute business trip to a Charity Golf Outing in Virginia, a six hour drive from my house. My job was to network with the clients and vendors before they teed off for the day’s golf scramble.
As I was getting ready for the day, my phone rang. It was a long-time friend of mine whose mother had been battling cancer for several years. I had known the family since I was 16 years old and loved this woman like she was my second mother.
My friend was looking for my mother’s phone number to request her presence at the hospital. I was also asked to come, it was our time to say good-bye. Stunned by the call I had just received, I hung up telling her that I would be there as quickly as I could leave the event. Knowing that I had a six hour drive, I decided to do what I needed to and then quickly head back north.
Unfortunately when I arrived at the golf outing, I learned that I had been given a spot on one of the foursomes heading out. Since it was a client, I was unable to refuse. I spent the next few hours trying to concentrate on the golf game, but truly unable to focus. After what had to be the worst game of golf I ever played, I managed to politely get out of the event and on the road.
I traveled as fast as my pickup truck would allow me. I traveled past Washington DC and thru Maryland. After I traveled through Delaware, I tried calling my Mom but there was no answer. She didn’t have a cell phone yet, so I assumed that she was still at the hospital. This gave me hope that I wasn’t too late.
However, when I crossed the Delaware Memorial Bridge the air in the truck changed. When my front tires hit New Jersey soil, I had a feeling I was no longer alone. I felt like I had gained a passenger. I knew at that moment that I was too late.
I started crying and saying what was on my mind and in my heart. The things that I wasn’t able to say to my friend’s mother face-to-face. I know she was there and that she heard me because as soon as I was done, she went on her way.
How to find me!