Wednesday, September 25, 2002
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Wednesday, September 25, 2002 |
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A memorable Saturday Rain makes the Light the Night walk memorable
Are we still having a drought? I was caught in quite a bit of rain on Saturday night, along with over a thousand other people, at the Light the Night Walk for Leukemia and Lymphoma in Atlanta. It had to put a dent in the drought. If not though, I can still water our plants at home by squeezing out my sneakers over them. It was a fantastic evening though and the torrential downpour only made it more memorable. My friend, Pat, was an Honored Hero at the walk this year. He just beat Leukemia into remission for a second time so friends and family gathered at Centennial Olympic Park on Saturday night to walk with Team Fitzgerald and show our support for our friend and try to raise money to beat these diseases once and for all. Plus, we got balloons with blinking lights inside. Walkers can either walk the one mile path or the three mile path. There was no team decision when we started the walk and when we got to the deciding point it seemed the consensus was three miles. We went down Sweet Auburn Avenue and saw sights that we don't see everyday. Thank God. It wasn't the nicest neighborhood, though we had no trouble. There was a water break station at the point where the walk turned around and headed back towards the park. We grabbed some cups of water and started the trek back. Sprinkles started to hit our heads as we entered a tunnel. Quite possibly, the foulest smelling tunnel ever. As we exited the tunnel and started breathing again we noticed that it had begun to rain a bit harder. One of the girls walking with us, Kathleen, said something like, "Probably won't rain any harder than this." I knew then that we were in for a treat. It could rain harder and it did. It felt like we were standing on the bridge at Splashwater Falls at Six Flags and flumes were constantly coming down the hill, thoroughly soaking us. We could have filled buckets and buckets of water by wringing out our clothes but we still had a mile and a half to go. The rest of the walk did not take very long, seeing as our pace had picked up considerably, but as we neared the park, puddles got deeper and streams of water ran fast down steps and hills. People with contact lenses could not keep their eyes open very wide for fear of losing their contacts. Nobody complained though. We were all laughing too hard. Besides, on a walk with Leukemia and Lymphoma survivors, it is hard to complain about getting a little wet. Eventually, we made it back to the car but members of the group got separated. My friend Kurt couldn't find the people he drove to the park with, so I offered to stay with him, walk to the car and get a ride back with them. Little did I know that we would not find his group for another half hour and we would be waiting in the now blinding rain of a booming thunderstorm in a ghettoey area. Nothing was open and there was nobody on the streets. Kurt and I waited under an awning of an abandoned storefront, still laughing. We found our ride soon enough and got back to the party. Lucky for me, my wife is the kind of girl who wears a belt and suspenders. We watched the weather in the morning before heading to Athens for the Georgia game and we packed a change of clothes. So, unlike some of the people at the party after the walk, we were wearing more than a towel. I can honestly say that I will remember that rainy Saturday for a long time. I am glad that I got to spend it with my friends, especially Pat, whose great attitude and friendship is an inspiration to us all. |
