The Cruise

I have to apologize for missing my usual posting day. I have been in bed sick for several days.

My husband Ray and I went on a 16 day cruise. It was so interesting and eye opening. We started by flying to Ft. Lauderdale Florida on December 6^th and getting on the ship on the 7^th. We sailed south past the Bahamas and then turned west. After 3 days of sailing we docked at Cartagena, Colombia. We took an excursion where we rode through town on a bus. It was so sad. So many buildings were falling down and yet that was where the people were living. There were long cement buildings with openings in them about the size of a garage door. Inside you could see folding tables with coolers on them that dispensed liquid. There was also what looked like food that appeared to have been prepared at home and brought in. These were little cafes, and there was at least one on every block.

The excursion guide was so informative and friendly. He talked about the drug exporting that goes on there and asked us not to judge his country by the drug traffic. He told us how much he loves his country, and how wonderful most of the people are. He begged us to let the world know that only a very few people in the country are involved with drugs and that most of their people are good people. He really touched my heart.

Then we sailed to Colon, Panama. There we took an excursion where we rode on a bus deep into the rain forest. We went to a little community called Gamboa. It was beautiful there. Along the way we went past what looked like an army barrack with a wire fence around it. The guide told us that it was the prison where Noriega is being held. We continued on down the road and came to a breath takingly beautiful hotel. We got on an aerial tram which took us up to the top of the rain forest where we traveled around for an hour. We traveled back to the boat and got up the next morning to the sight of us traveling through the Panama Canal. That was very interesting, and we got a certificate for it. We also got a certificate for crossing the equator.

We docked in Manta Ecuador, Lima Peru, Arica Chile, La Serena Chile, and Valparaiso Chile, taking various excursions along the way.

The ship, the Celebrity Infinity, was amazing. When we got on board they had Christmas decorations scattered around on the ship. Each night during the night they would add more decorations. By the time we left the ship on December 22, the whole ship was beautifully decorated.

While on the ship you are treated like royalty. They clean your bedroom and bathroom every morning. Around four PM they would bring a tray of canapés for you. In the evening you go to a wonderful restaurant for a five star, three course dinner. I had a different appetizer, soup or salad, entrée, and dessert every evening. You can actually have more than one of each if you would like. We saw people having two entrees and three desserts, and that is perfectly fine with the waiters. They put your napkin on your lap and replace your silverware with each course. We had a waiter named Igor. He is from Serbia. By the end of the cruise we felt like he was an old family friend. We exchanged email addresses with him and plan to keep in touch. He has a two year old and a six month old child. He has to be away from them for about nine months at a time to make a living for them. I signed one of my books and we gave it to him. He was thrilled. So were we.

There were three of us couples who went on this cruise together. When Manley and Mary, Steve and Elisa, and Ray and I would finish our dinner we would go to the big theater on ship where we would see a fantastic show each night. We saw jugglers, acrobats, singers, dancers, and the most incredible violinist I have ever heard. After the show we would go back to our rooms and find that they had cleaned the bedroom and bathroom once again. They had also turned back the covers and put chocolates on our pillows. We would get into our bathrobes and go out onto the balcony where we would sit for about an hour and listen to the waves lapping against the side of the ship. What a relaxing way to end the day.

The last day on the ship my husband came down with what we thought was a cold. The day after we got back I came down with it also. Actually I believe it turned out to be the flu. We have been in bed for days, aching from head to toe and running fevers. We are finally on the mend, thank goodness.

Even with all of the royalty treatment, it is good to be home. As beautiful as South America is, it made us appreciate what we have here in America. I imagine that no matter where you live, when you travel it is always good to come back. After all, there is no place like home.

Poem - The Fight Before Christmas

I thought you might enjoy reading a poem I wrote for Christmas last year. I hope you like it.

The Fight Before Christmas

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house

The tension was bad as I fought with my spouse.

The stockings were hung, and the presents were there.

The tree lights were shining, but I didn’t care.

 

She had said something that had made me mad,

Unless she said “I’m sorry” this fight would be bad.

The children were hiding upstairs in their beds,

While loud angry voices whirled ‘round in their heads.

 

She had been wrong and I knew that she knew it

This fight would go on until she said she blew it.

My wife went upstairs, brushed her teeth and her hair.

I decided I’d sleep in my reclining chair.

 

My eyelids were closed but my mind wouldn’t rest.

The anger sat there like a brick on my chest.

When all of a sudden, from somewhere outside

I heard such a wail you’d think something had died.

 

I jumped from my chair and my feet hit the floor,

I stomped through the house and threw open the door.

The moonlight reflected on new fallen snow

As my eyes became focused on objects below.

 

And there on the walk, surely up to no good,

Stood eight tiny snot nosed brats from the hood.

They were all bundled up, their eyes full of glee

As they sang Christmas carols, mostly off key.

 

Two were dressed up like Joseph and Mary,

In the girl’s arms, a wee doll she did carry.

They sang Silent Night, and Away in a Manger.

They had not a clue of my justified anger.

 

I started to scold them and send them away.

Who could have joy on this horrible day?

But just as I opened my mouth to implore

That they take their miserable singing next door.

 

 

A small voice said, “Mister, do you know the reason

That we celebrate during this Christmas season”?

My head dropped in shame, I said, “Tell me about it”.

He replied, “When you hear it, you never will doubt it.

 

Did you know that Jesus came down from above

To live among us with a heart full of love?

He left all His riches to live here on to earth

And started this life with a poor, lowly birth.

 

He came down to us because we had been bad.

He didn’t place blame, it just made Him real sad.

He died on a cross where we should have died.

The people who loved Him were sad, and they cried.

 

He rose up again and to heaven He flew

And we can all go there to live with Him too.”

He said “Merry Christmas”, as they walked away.

Their singing was precious, I wished they could stay.

 

I suddenly realized that I had been wrong,

And this fight with my family had stolen my song.

My anger had drowned out the sweet Christmas spirit.

The song was still there, but I couldn’t hear it.

 

I knew that I had to make up with my wife,

To tell her “I’m sorry” and stop all this strife.

So I climbed up the stairs and I swallowed my pride,

I gathered my wife and my kids to my side.

 

As I asked for forgiveness and started to weep,

My wife said, “I love you, now let’s get some sleep.”  

We’re all settled down for a nice winter’s rest.

I think of my family, and realize I am blessed.

 

My children are sleeping all snug in their beds,

While memories of Christmas songs float in their heads.

‘Tis the night before Christmas and everything’s good

Because of eight twinkle eyed kids from the hood.

 

Janice Austin Bates

December 2, 2011 11:26pm

Point of View

One morning as I was out for a walk I noticed the clouds that were hanging ominously in the sky. They were laden with rain, and looked very dark. I was thinking about how the clouds made the whole world seem cold and sort of heavy. The darkness of the clouds was the most noticeable part of the entire scene. All of the rain in the clouds made them so very black.

Then I remembered times when I have traveled somewhere by air. Of course the plane is so high that you are above the clouds. If you have ever flown, you know that when you look at clouds from above, they are beautiful and extremely white. It makes no difference how much rain they are holding, they are still white.

So, why would clouds that look so black from down here on Earth look white from up above? Then it dawned on me. These black clouds aren’t really black, they are just full of rain. When they have that much rain in them they block the light of the Sun. If you can’t see the Sun it changes your perspective on everything. The light from the Sun makes the world bright and warm.

Clouds don’t really have any color. They are just moisture. When you are above the clouds, on the side where the Sun is, you see that they reflect the light of the Sun. But when you are below them they hide the Sun, giving them the impression of being black. The sky is still bright, we just can’t see it because of the clouds. It is all in the point of view.

Then I felt like God showed me that our lives are like that. The Son of God is the light of this world. When we are looking at Him things look bright and warm. When problems come along they are like the clouds. The more difficult the problems, the more heavy laden with tears they are. Many times our problems loom between us and the Son. When that happens we can’t see the light. Our world seems dark, cold and lonely because we have lost sight of the Son.

So why do our problems seem so dark? It is because we are seeing them from here on Earth. If we could see them from God’s point of view we would see that our problems are rarely as dark as we think. They are simply blocking our view of the Son.  From where God is, we would see that His love is still there, and His light is still shining. God never loses sight of the fact that, like the clouds, our problems and tears are temporary and they will pass.

Just like the warmth of the Sun dissolves the clouds, the warmth of the Son of God will melt away our heartaches. How long that takes depends a lot on us. The more we trust in Him and lean on Him, the quicker He can rid our hearts of heavy black clouds. Trusting God isn’t always easy. The Bible teaches us that even though we believe in God, there is also some unbelief in us. That is part of being human and God understands that. He is there to help us with our doubts if we ask Him.

So, if we give our hearts to God and serve Him, some day we will be in Heaven and can look back on our clouds of heartache. When we see them from God’s point of view we will understand that the Son’s light is and was always shining. Whether or not we can see it is all in the point of view.

Susie

In 2005 my sister Diane, her husband Harold and I took a trip to the United Kingdom. Wow! What a trip that was.

On the flight over, we all had video screens that were on the backs of the seats in front of us. There was one screen we could go to that was a map of the part of the world we were traveling in. It showed a little airplane that was in the exact place on the map where we actually were. It was sort of like watching ourselves flying.

When we landed in London we very quickly fell in love with it and everything about it. Even though it is a huge city, it was very quaint. A lot of the streets were extremely narrow. They only had three lanes. The two outside lanes were used for parking, which only left one lane for driving. Believe it or not, it was two-way traffic. As two cars would meet face to face, one would pull over into an empty parking space in one of the outside lanes. The other car would pass and then the parked car would pull back into the center lane and both cars would continue on their way. It worked very well for the Londoners. They knew exactly what they were doing, and no one got excited about it.

We stayed in London for two days before heading to Scotland on the third day. While walking around town on the second day, we found ourselves in front of Buckingham Palace. It is very impressive, although it doesn’t have any lawn in front. There is just a large expanse of blacktop behind a magnificent fence and gates. Just across the street from the front of the palace is a beautiful park that goes downhill to a pond. After walking around in the park for a while we came back to a hotdog stand that was just at the bottom of the hill from the palace.

While sitting on the lawn eating our hotdogs and drinking sodas, we heard bagpipes start playing. We decided that there was a concert in front of the palace and when we finished our lunch we would walk back up the hill and watch it. As we finished our food we heard the bagpipes start moving away. We rushed to the top of the hill just in time to see the bagpipe band marching down the street away from the palace. When we asked people about it, we found out that what we had heard was the changing of the guard ceremony, and we had missed it while eating hotdogs. We inquired as to when the next ceremony would be and were told that there was a schedule in front of the palace gates. Checking the schedule, we were sad to find out that they only have the changing of the guard every other day and we would be in Scotland by next time. Sure would have loved to have gotten pictures.

While walking through the park we came across two old men sitting on one of the park benches. They were quite the characters. We started talking to them and quickly knew that sitting in the park and entertaining the tourists was a big part of their daily life. One of the old men named Mike told us that he used to have three girlfriends and no bank account. Then he said that now he has no girlfriend and three bank accounts.

Then he pointed across the park a ways where there was a squirrel under a bench. He told us that was Susie. He started calling, “Susie, Susie, come here girl”.  Susie’s head popped up and she turned to look at old Mike. Suddenly she came running across the grass as fast as she could go. She jumped up on the arm of the park bench. Then she leapt up onto his shoulder and then onto a hat he was wearing. He put a peanut in his teeth. Little Susie scooted forward on the hat until she was leaning out over his face. She put her front feet on his cheeks and gingerly pulled the peanut from his teeth. They repeated this little ritual several times. When Mike stopped putting peanuts in his teeth, Susie jumped down and scampered away. That was one of the cutest things I have seen. As you can tell, I still think of it often.

There are a lot of grand and magnificent things I have seen in my life, but it is funny how it is the little things that life is really made of. They are also the times we usually remember the most. Spectacular moments are impressive, but the little moments are what make life what it is.

Hold on to the little moments. They are what make you who you are, and what you will cherish when you grow old.

I will tell you more about the UK trip in future posts. It was a wonderful trip. I recommend it to everyone.