Sad goodbyes from the outside looking in

My father-in-law retired last weekend. Retirement is a major event in someone's life, but in this situation, it was more like the end of an era. Reverend Wayne Barnett had been the minister of the Christian Church in Maysville, Kentucky for 33 years and in that time he influenced a lot of people's lives. On Sunday, he gave his last sermon. There was a reception that afternoon and a tribute to him where several leaders in the community spoke of the impact he had on the town of Maysville and even in surrounding areas.

Adam, my husband, went to Maysville on Friday afternoon, and planned to stay until Monday evening. He also planned for me to join him Saturday afternoon and stay until after the festivities on Sunday, but it wasn't easy.

I got up early on Saturday to work out, then I went home to shower and pack. I had filled up the car with gas earlier, and then I took it to get an oil change. The fuel pump on the Saturn had been a little flaky lately, and I left it running when I dropped it off because I didn't want them to have any trouble pulling it in the bay. I walked across the street to get some lunch at qdoba. I had to get back to the gym so that Deric could leave, but the Saturn, was being more than flaky at this point. It just wouldn't start. I called Deric to let him know why I wasn't there, and he drove up to get me. It's okay, maybe I'll rent a car. No big deal, right? I have until 5pm when the gym closes to figure it out.

Adam went on line to check rates and reserve a car for me. I message my brother asking him to take me to the airport to pick up the rental car when he got off work. A little after 5pm, I messaged him again telling him not to forget about me. He called 2 minutes later "I forgot about you, and I have to be at my other job now." It's fine. I have a little more work to do anyway before I'm ready to hit the road.

I called my friend Shawn, to see if he could take me to the airport. He picked me up about an hour later, and dropped me off. I got to the counter and the man asked for my license which I didn't have. (When I went out with Adam for our anniversary 5 weeks ago, I put my ID in his pocket because I didn't have any, and I never got it back.) Obviously, the man cannot rent me a car without my license, so I called Shawn again who then turned around to come back and get me. I had to find the license in the pocket of a pair of shorts that could be basically anywhere at my house. As luck would have it, it had been washed and dried and was in the second place I looked. Then, Shawn drove me back to the airport, and I hit the road.

I called Adam to check on the best route to Maysville. I have been there many times, but usually with Adam who would drive. There are 2 ways to get there: through Georgetown, and through Lexington. Adam usually goes through Georgetown, but I was told to go through Lexington because it is easier. Driving down I64, I see an exit for State Road 62 toward Lexington, and I jump across a couple lanes of traffic to take the exit. As I exited I64, I saw the exit number was 69. I didn't remember which exit I was told to take, but I knew this one was too early. I figured that I would just go through Georgetown this way, and that was fine. It was dark, I couldn't see anything except the road, so nothing looked familiar. I had seen a couple signs stating how many miles to Maysville, so I had to be getting there soon. I had been driving well over the speed limit the entire time, so it shouldn't be taking this long. To top it off, that day I drank a half a gallon of water, 2 large teas, a Red Bull, and had been expecting to be able to go to the bathroom any minute when I got to town. After a series of 20 yellow diamond shaped signs with squiggly lines on them, I passed a sign showing that I62 turned left yet again, but I went straight. I had to stop and turn around, so I called Adam to let him know where I was. As I tried to explain to what part of BFE I was in, he cut me off and said, "you took 68, right?". Of 'course, I hadn't; I was on 62. In my frustration, and learning that I added 45 minutes to my trip unnecessarily, I immediately relieved myself in the middle of the pitch black road with not a sign of anyone around.

I arrived in Maysville, Kentucky after an hour and 40 minutes after my departure from Louisville. You might be thinking that I should have stayed home, and it's just a retirement party, but one thing Adam said to me earlier that day showed me how important it was that I get there. When I called him to complain about not getting my license from him sooner, he said that I was lucky that he didn't pack those shorts to bring with him. I wasn't lucky because then I wouldn't be able to go, I was lucky because then he would have to drive up to bring me my license. That's right, it was so important that I attend, that Adam was going to drive roughly 5 hours to bring my license to me.

I had an interesting perspective on the event. The Barnett's had been a part of the church and community all their lives. I entered into the picture less then 9 years ago. I would attend church a few times a year and each time meet more people who I had trouble remembering the next time. Even though I don't know most of the people, they all knew me. They knew who I was. They knew that I was important to Adam, who they all wished the best for in life. They knew what reverend Barnett had told them about me, but I don't know what all that entailed. They knew we lived in Louisville. They knew that I owned a gym, competed, and trained people. They knew I had given Adam a diet and training regimen that got him in the best shape they've seen. They knew I made Adam happy, and if that was the only thing they knew about me, it would have been enough for them.

When you go to a wedding, the bride, groom, and their parents, will stand at the receiving line to thank everyone for coming. Similar to this, Wayne, LaDonna (Wayne's wife), Adam, and Cherish (Adam's sister) all stood in a receiving line at the back of the church after the service Sunday. The church was packed, and it took almost 2 hours for everyone to say goodbye to each of them. I didn't feel part of the goodbyes, and was helping out by entertaining Cherish's kids Sam and Emma. Everyone was crying, sharing how much their lives had been impacted by the family, and showing appreciation for them. At one point, LaDonna told me to join them saying goodbye, so I did. I smiled at people that I recognized and couldn't remember their names, people hugged me, they told me to take care of Adam, they surprised me. They were genuinely happy to have known me in the small way that they did. I was loved by association. There was so much love sewn by the Barnett family in Maysville, that their cup runeth over.

I drove back the appropriate way, and made it in exactly 2 hours...another record driving time by Natalie Barnett. Now it's back to prepping my competitors for the upcoming show which is now only six and a half weeks away.