At Sea

Not sure when I will have Internet to post this but figured I would get it down. We are once again at sea. I am in my happy place. It never ceases to amaze me how incredible it is to be at sea.
I am aware of so much around me. The gentle vibration of the deck beneath my feet as the engines hum along. How my cabin rolls from side to side with each swell of the sea that passes under the ship. That always amazes me. The power of the sea. You look our over the vast blue and watch as these small swells of only a few feet come ever so gently to the side of the ship and the pass beneath it. And yet those small swells move this enormous ship. It is constant and never stops and gently rocks you like a child in its mothers arms. I never tire of it.
     Out on the bow there is  the intense warmth of the equatorial sun shinning down on you from the bluest sky you have ever seen. And the nothing....miles and miles of nothing. No land, no traffic noise, no demands, no birds, just miles of nothing but sea and sky, the breeze in your face and peace in your heart.
On the stern in my hammock I gently swing from side to side. Behind the ship the propellers stir up a ribbon of white foam and turquoise blue. It stretches out behind of slowly dissolving into a smooth line of flat water marking where we have come from. A slight breeze, quiet conversations with friends, and a constant eye on the horizon watching for the spout from a whale or a dolphin jumping from the sea. I have not yet seen either on this trip but yesterday dolphins were seen so hope bubbles up in the heart and I wait.

My work days are filled with boxes and crates. I have moved over to general supply during the sail. So orders are made and me and my guys spend our mornings filling those orders. Supplies for the dining room, the galley and the ship shop mostly. Orders are usually similar but vary from day to day. Today there were crates of tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce and fruit. Rice and onions and cooking oil too. All of has been weighed and stored and tied down. So now it must be calculated how much is needed, untied, moved from deck 2 to deck 5 or deck 6 and then everything else retied so it will not fall over and make a mess as the ship moves.

My evenings are fun time during the sail. Some of the crew members have planned fun activities to keep us entertained so we do not get cabin fever. There has been spy vs spy, karaoke and a mocktail party with the captain. Tonight is movie night and there will be popcorn. The little things are fun and create time for the crew to bond with one another.

Soon these days will be over, but for now I will savor each one of them. They are gifts. Each one to be unwrapped and discover what it holds. Each one different than the one before. I love the gift of time, which seems to slow down here during the sail. Time to savor life. Time with friends, time for games, time to spend in the word and with the Lord. Time to listen. Time to be thankful.
And that is what I truly am. Thankful for all of it. Thankful to be here, thankful that He chose me.
My cup runneth over.