Foggy Delay Couldn't Keep My Away!

I woke up this morning to find my city socked in, trapped under a heavy blanket of Tulle fog. This is typical for this time of year in the San Joaquin Valley here in Central California and the fog is so much a part of winter that it is, in fact, strangely comforting. Visibility is down to zero feet in many outlying areas, so traversing the streets and freeways will be dangerous this morning. The fog has also caused flight delays at Fresno Yosemite International Airport. I'm reminded of a foggy December morning five years ago, and a canceled flight that was to have taken my husband and me to our daughter in Utah.

In October of 2004 a miracle lead me to the streets of Santa Cruz, where I found our 16-year old drug-addicted runaway daughter. Two days later my husband and I wept as we drove down the long driveway away from the rehab facility in Loa, Utah where we left our little girl for much needed treatment. On that foggy morning 2 1/2 months later we had flight reservations for what was to be a surprise visit to our daughter. When we woke up and saw the wall of fog outside our window, we knew we should check on the status of our flight. Sure enough...canceled! We crawled back into bed for about 5 minutes before we looked at each other and said, "let's drive". Ten hours later we drove past that same long driveway and I was shocked at the sudden urge to leap out of the car and run to wake my daughter. I cried a little, checked into our cozy hotel - happy to be out of the Utah cold night air - and then we set the alarm for an early wake-up call. It was still dark outside when we were allowed into our daughter's room, where she lay sleeping in a bed surrounded by other young girls whose parents were desperate enough to seek help in this far away place. "I'm here", I whispered. She woke up, her eyes widened, and she said, "Can we go out for breakfast?"

Christmas 2004 was hard. Our daughter was in rehab, our oldest son was in jail, and I was barely able to summon the energy to hold it together long enough to get through Christmas. The only thing that kept me going that gloomy season was my 17 year-old son, who was still at home and needing us and much as we needed him. The memory of that happy moment, in the early morning darkness in a girl's dorm room in Loa, Utah, was a bright light that shined like a beacon of hope. This morning, when I woke to the wall of fog outside my window, I remembered that morning five years ago, when our flight was canceled and how we weren't sure we'd make it to the pre-Christmas visit with our lost daughter. Then, I was reminded that even when blanketed by sadness and grief, there is light and hope. So the flight's been canceled and you're not sure how you'll get from here to there? Find another way! Find another way....