Notes From the Cruise

I took a journal along on the cruise with grand intentions of doing a lot of writing in all of my free time. Free time was actually not a luxury I enjoyed, and fruity drinks were something I enjoyed immensely, resulting in only one journal entry on my first night aboard the ship. Here is that one entry, for your enjoyment. Or amusement.

It is 10:16 pm. Ben and Drew are, to my knowledge, upstairs playing video games. We are in three separate rooms, and they are roommates, and I instructed them to stay together. Otherwise they have a lot of freedom, and there is stuff going on 24/7, and free pizza, too. I imagine that Scott, Brig and Sam are sleeping. Sally is soundly sleeping beside me in the King bed in our room.

We are tired and went to bed early I was only 1/2 asleep as my body tries to adjust to the rocking of the cruise ship. What I wasn’t prepared for was the sound of silence when it seemed our power shut off. That was slightly terrifying, but it quickly came back on, and I am now wide awake.

I got out of bed and looked out the window. The stars are so bright out in the middle of the ocean! The rocking of the huge ship is more obvious when I can see the waves we make as we pound side to side, sliding across the water. There is nothing else to be seen but ocean, stars, and the side of our ship.

I am surprisingly not fearful. I do marvel, however, at my insignificance. I am struck by how small I truly am as I see absolutely nothing in the dark ocean that lies beyond our boat. As I think about it, the space race of the 80’s seems rather silly when I am gliding along on top of a sea so deep I cannot fathom it. What kind of creatures lie below me? Why do we so desperately want to explore up and away from the earth when there is so very much we have yet to discover about our own planet?

I cast a glance at the box under the tv and am reassured by the life vests inside. As I consider how deep is the ocean, I am reminded of the song that goes, “How deep the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure….” The ocean seems vast right now, but technically it could be measured with the right equipment and mathematical formulas and all. But the Father’s love is vast beyond ALL MEASURE! And as I look at an ocean so deep I cannot fathom it and so vast I can see nothing on any side, I am struck at how deep and vast the Father’s love really is!

As I float along, rocking side to side, I am thankful that as insignificant and tiny as I feel, I am in the Father’s line of vision. More than that, I am thankful that I am loved by him. And not just in a small way. I am loved in a vast and deep way! Deeper even than this immense, dark body of water which surrounds me. And I am so very thankful for that love.

I am also thankful for the anti-nausea patch stuck to my head behind my ear And for fruity drinks with rum that relax me.

3 Responses to “Notes From the Cruise”

  1. Molly Says:

    How wonderful! I am so glad you got to do that! What a cool experience. :)

  2. Nicole Says:

    I love, love, LOVE the ocean! I’m jealous you got to spend a week marvelling at it’s beauty. It definitely makes me feel closer to God when I”m there too. Some day we’ll do a beach vacation together. Love ya!

  3. Jana B. Says:

    I love the way you compared, or maybe didn’t compare the depths of the ocean to the father’s love. It can’t be compared. But the depth and awesome size of the ocean does give me a hint of God’s love. I once heard a pastor say that when he stood by the shore, the roar of the ocean sounded like the voice of God. I am thrilled that you and your family were able to experience a cruise. I feel nostalgic reading about it. When my dad was alive, he took us on many cruises. He was truly a man of the sea. Thanks for this, Chewymom

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