Today starts with a Prayer for Remembrance and Healing. Words from Reverend Heather Reed.

Today as we reflect on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, we also acknowledge all of the other times in our lives that have made a profound impact and changed us in different ways. Mike and I took the chance to go to the site in PA. The recordings still brought me to tears. Didn’t realize what an impression that day made. It instantly takes you back to where you were and what was going on. I am also reminded about 9/11/1992, when a gunman opened fire in the hallway of my high school. I had graduated already but both my brothers were there that day. No one was killed thank God, but many were shot in the same hall where my brothers were. That was 34 years ago. I know this is supposed to be about encouragement and prayer of remembrance but I would be remiss if I didn’t also say we need to do better. We are still a country in denial that we need to change to an accepting world and not a condemning world. Will things that change our lives still happen…yes. Will it solve every problem….no. But it is one hell of a place to start. Learn to Love and Listen, Embrace and walk along side the people in our orbits. Judgement and condemnation is the evil that still perpetrates as an acceptable way to treat one another when it is so obviously unacceptable. That just needs to stop. So pray with me …

Gracious God. We are here on our knees asking for healing and peace. We pray for the lives that were directly impacted by 9/11/2001 and 9/11/1992. We pray for lives that have experienced trauma and hurt from any act or event they have encountered. Please help us become the people we proclaim to be. Place a hand of growth and understanding on those who lead with hate and show them how they are destroying one another and those around. Continue to raise the voices of reconciliation and justice that they are heard and not condemned. Please continue to bring healing and peace to each of us as we walk in your light and let love lead the way. We ask all of these things in your son’s name. Amen.

Today is a sea day for us on the Sapphire Princess. It has been rough sailing. I had to take more Dramamine and put some motion sickness patches behind each ear. The wind is up and it feels like a normal January day in Amarillo.

The Lawrence River leads us to our destination of Quebec City, Canada. We change times zones tonight setting our clocks back an hour to Eastern Standard Time.

Heather did our laundry this morning. I poured the coffee. After bumming around inside the room we ventured out to see my friend in the photo gallery. Mr. Ikedek was happy to see us. He showed us our pictures and gave us a flash drive. We then took the pictures back to our room and ventured out again.

We steadily milled around the ship eventually ending up on the deck 14 by the pool. Wind blowing, it was cold!!! I had to hide my hat and Heather wasn’t into an afternoon snack. I was needing something now to hold me over for our dinner reservation tonight is at 8:00 p.m.

I settled for a hot dog and fries. Yum! Back to the room for a siesta my friends. With the ship moving it’s a no brainer to be rocked to sleep.

The Captain of the Sapphire Princess made a special ship wide announcement. He said that we have encountered very strong winds and seas. In the interest of safety he had adjusted the ship’s speed. The weather is continuing to improve but has delayed us in our arrival in our port of Saguenay, Canada tomorrow.

The ship’s excursion team will contact those affected directly. There is no need to see them in person. We will be delayed over three hours of our scheduled arrival time. Heather and I have a later excursion time but don’t know how that will be affected.

We had dinner at Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria. Our waitress was knowledgeable, helpful, friendly and attentive. Wow what a wonderful experience. The food was phenomenal! My Tuscany soup and lasagna bolognese is what keeps this fat man from eating Stouffer’s frozen lasagna. It’s not even close in flavor. We had the perfect pairing of wine with our dinner. Our waitress has the best Italian accent and told Heather that dessert was mandatory and not an option. We finished with an Americana coffee. I had the tiramisu that was ice cream with soft thin crisps and Heather had Rocher that is chocolate mousse hazelnut ice cream. We left in awe of how delicious that meal was.

We ended our night milling around the ship. We are looking forward to our experiences together on tomorrow’s adventures.

“When you are facing rough seas, whether literally or in the journey of life, remind yourself that storms are temporary, but the resilience you build is permanent. The greatest sailors are not defined by how they perform in calm waters, but by how they navigate the tempest.” – Anonymous