Rebekah and I drove down to Central Florida Friday, having visited with cousin Zandra in Greensboro, Georgia, and then dropping off a television in Athens for Alicia’s twin sister, Stephanie (who is at the University of Georgia, working on her PhD in clinical psychology).

My Golf TDi was equal to the task, squeezing well over 600 miles out of the first tank. Then we hit a wall of rain around Gainesville, Florida, and it didn’t let up till we arrived in Orlando. Interstate 75 was jammed with traffic, and a parking lot at times with no functional visibility beyond 25-mph; of course this didn’t stop many people from barreling along at well more than 50.

But eventually the white-knuckle driving was over (and a couple of well-timed Cracker Barrel stops), and we relaxed at the Olive Garden with family, catching up till the late evening, sharing stories (and fabrications) and laughing till we closed the place down. Our waiter kindly spilled a large glass of wine over both Rebekah and me (it wasn’t even my wine, we were both drinking coffee), resulting in an entirely comped meal. He was genuinely surprised that his tip was so huge.

So this morning, instead of my usual post, I’m going to try to drive some traffic to the Wake Forest Today news site where they host my weekly “local” column.

This week’s piece – What’s the Reading on Your “Life-O-Meter”? – is, I believe, worth taking the time to read.

Love, peace, and God’s rich blessings – DEREK