5/4/21
Today was travel day. We got thrown off of Rte 20 in the Gary, IN area due to a detour where the police blocked off the road and made us U turn and, eventually turn onto Rte 6W instead. This brought us through a very depressed area in Indiana and it was sad to see all the abandoned and dilapidated buildings and businesses. We returned to Rte 20 and arrived at our destination (another Harvest Host site) around 2:45PM (CST).
PS - it may be ONLY one hour difference from EST but it is messing with my head!!!
We had dinner at the VFW Post 2164 in Wheaton, IL. What a profoundly wonderful experience. We were immediately struck by the welcoming spirit and obvious bond between the patrons. We met three lovely couples there. One couple has been married 49 years; Jim is retired from the Air Force after 20 years of service (while his wife, Laura, kept his family and home together during his 20 years of service)! The couple's son is also in the Air Force (as is his new bride) and they have been separated through most of their new marriage as they serve our country in different countries. Another fun couple we chatted with, Eric & Beth, are committed to the VFW despite not having served in the armed forces. They discovered this wonderful community of amazing men and women who have sacrificed their life and loves and, consequently, volunteer some of their time and energy to the post. And then there was a lovely couple from Virginia who were (like us) just passing through town. Mike had also served in the Armed Forces as a helicopter pilot and Jane was about to undertake an amazing feat of running 7 half-marathons in 7 different states in 7 days!
Great night. Great stay. Great people.
A bonus to this stop was the lovely neighborhood in Illinois in which the Post is located. There was a wonderful park down the street with walking trails and ponds. The bonus for me was that there was the high school's girls varsity softball practice going on when we walked by - the sound of the ball hitting those aluminum bats brought me back in time to my high school days and my time spent with my dear dear friends. Hearing their laughter and encouragement to each other was music to my ears. Penny and Karl were more excited by the walking bridges and ducks and beauty - it was all quite magical!
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