Alva James-Johnson: Praying for sunshine this weekend

I’ve been praying for good weather this weekend, and it’s not just because I’m a cold-averse creature shaking the winter blues.

The reason I'm obsessed with the local forecast is because of my daughter's high school graduation, which will draw lots of family and friends to Columbus.

For weeks, we've been planning an outdoor reception to celebrate the occasion.

And while our visitors are in town, we hope to expose them to some of the great attractions the area has to offer, such as the RiverWalk, Callaway Gardens and FDR State Park.

But chances are it will rain, and we'll be stuck indoors.

How do I know this?

Because it has happened just about every time family and friends have visited us in Columbus.

It could be sunny for weeks, but the minute we get company, clouds automatically appear.

It might be the visitors who bring the clouds to our fair city.

But that's unlikely since some of them are from South Florida, where the sun always shines in abundance.

Last year, we had friends come from Fort Lauderdale for spring break, and it poured for days.

"It was sunny just before you got here," we told them. "You arrived a week too late!"

We had a similar experience when my parents, also from South Florida, visited a couple Christmases ago, and again when friends recently came from Omaha, Neb.

I try not to take it personally when it rains on my parade, but there's nothing like soggy weather to dampen the mood. I'm beginning to think it's a conspiracy.

So this time, I decided to be proactive, praying for sunshine weeks in advance.

I've also been googling the weather on a daily basis, hoping to see mostly sunny days in the forecast.

But, just as expected, the weather forecasts have been showing greater chances of rain and scattered thunderstorms the closer it gets to graduation.

So, we're left in limbo. Should we move the reception indoors? Or take the 50 percent chance that we won't see thunderstorms that day?

It's times like these when I turn to the Serenity Prayer, which says "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference."

The weather is definitely beyond my control. So the question is, "Why am I stressing?"

This weekend, I'll be surrounded by family and friends celebrating my daughter's great accomplishment. That's what really matters in the scheme of things.

Guess I'll just roll with the flow -- come rain or shine.

This story was originally published May 14, 2015 at 9:16 PM with the headline "Alva James-Johnson: Praying for sunshine this weekend."