My experiences on ships (not “boats”, I’ve been told a dozen times) have been memorable. The two Atlantic crossings ( to and back from Europe,) years ago, convinced me that the dry land was meant for humans, not the wild seas. Seven days of sea-sickness going and five days returning were a lesson well learned. But what do you do when you buy a travel agency and cruising is a part of the package?
So we cruised down the Amazon (twice)…getting there was not a joy but once we hit the “river” it wasn’t so bad. A trip down the coast of Mexico was another one I would rather not talk about. I actually feel a little nauseated just looking inside the washing machine when it is still moving a bit. No, I am definitely not a sailor!
But, the other day an old friend used an expression I had not heard. She was talking to my daughter about changes in their lives and when asked about once incident, she said “That ship has sailed.”
It made me think about how many ships had sailed in my life…each memory precious in its own way but not to be lingered in…too many adventures just waiting down the road.
I shared some of my previous “adventures” with my daughter the other day…working in a dental office as a teenager, then off to nurse at a psychiatric hospital (that was really an adventure in the ’50s – but an engagement ring changed all that), marriage, children, a second career as a church secretary, the travel agency, hospital volunteering, then the last six years of widowhood. A lot of my ships have sailed. Sometimes I am overwhelmed at the graciousness of the Lord and the amazement of his plans for me.
“What next,” I often wonder, then, a friend invites me to attend a kindergarten graduation. I have not darkened the doors of a school in decades, but it sounds delightful. And it was. I looked at the little faces and their expressions…some so shy and others so full of fun. I wonder what those little faces will look like in twenty years. One little boy came over to his kindergarten teacher later, gave her a hug and burst into tears. I guess Grade 1 seems pretty scary to him…but his kindergarten ship has sailed…and that kind of sailing will happen a lot down the road.
When I think of Harry’s passing and the expression that “That ship has sailed”, I have come to terms with not being on the ship with him. God had more plans for me and anyway we will both end up at the same destination eventually…and that brings me much comfort.
Photo by Adventures of KM&G-Morris via Flickr, CC 2.0
