More on our adventures during the rest of the trip later... But then there was Christmas Eve. I particularly like Christmas Eve. It’s something about the anticipation, but finding peace in a kind of magic at the same time. Slowly down is not something I am always good at, but I have gotten better in the last year.
Well the plans for Christmas Eve began to get more involved. Sarah, Rachel’s best friend was coming in at 5:30pm to the airport. Freddy had gotten off work in time. Mom had helped curl my hair, a tradition at home when I was running late so I could finish whatever else I was doing. And off we hopped in the car with Rachel driving and down the highway we sped (but not over the speed limit).
Until we reached the worse traffic jam I have ever seen on the M2 going east out of Joburg. I forgot to mention I was in the back seat sewing the last stocking to be hung on our TV chimney. And somehow everyone kept calm enough to make it through what turned out to be a traffic stop, hoping Sarah was not worried waiting.
We dropped Rachel to run in and zoomed to our friendly neighborhood car rental place where we park for free (this has saved us hundreds of rands while in SA, with visitors and car issues etc.). I did my quick hellos and explanations while running for the terminal. I sent mom to buy airtime in a system she doesn’t know, and Freddy and I raced upstairs to the food court to get the Christmas Eve feast. (Nando’s chicken and fish and chips.)
We arrived at the meeting place just after Sarah and Rachel had finished hugging and I may have been a bit embarrassing shouting a welcome from across the atrium, but we were a happy band. So then I raced ahead to retrieve the car and give my Christmas wishes to the car rental folks.
And off we headed to Lynn’s hotel. Yes, my friend Colleens mother and grandfather were both unexpectedly in South Africa for Christmas due to some health problems the grandfather faced in the beginning of December while on our traveling tour. We were still a bit worried as Christmas approached with his health and Lynn changed her flight to be with him longer.
I was very lucky to manage the figure out the directions their in the dark coming from a different side, but we got there quickly- just turns out I went to the wrong room, because sometimes I get numbers a bit backwards. But Lynn greeted us and we had our standing 15 minutes Christmas Eve dinner. Then left Sarah to freshen up and catch up with Rachel, while the other four of us headed to Benoni to the church I serve at for a Christmas Eve service there.
Mom and I were discussion turning off phones, when I had to dig through my bag and find mine. That was when I noticed I had a text message from my friend Joyce at work, who I thought had left the weekend before to go back home to Zimbabwe to be with her family. To this I immediately called her and asked her where she was. She said home (she lives very close to the church, while I live a 45 minute drive). More quick planning, which luckily my mother is very good at understanding and assisting with. So I told her to be ready and I was on the way to pick her up. My mom of course sent Freddy so I wouldn’t drive alone and she and Lynn would stay because I especially wanted Lynn to get a whole Christmas Eve service.
So we jumped out of the pews in good spirits. It wasn’t a second thought that my friend couldn’t be alone and needed to be with us at the service. So we jetted to her street and waited in the car for her. Headed back to the church and the gate was locked with no one in sight….
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