Two Stories Of Love
First Story: Vacation, Part Two
This was to be our last day on the ship and Victoria, Canada, our last stop before disembarking in Seattle. The sun removed every cloud in the sky to beat down on us. It was hot!
Victoria is beautiful, but when you’re leading nine people to a tour bus it can get hectic. Mikos was in charge of getting us to Butchart Gardens. We arrived with thousands of other tourists cramming the beautiful pathways of the garden. It was a sight but despite all the sweaty tourists I enjoyed the venture. While we made our way through the crowds, Will had a better idea. He treated himself to lunch: cheeseburger, fries, coke and dessert!
Chinatown
We came to a family consensus that we were going to eat in Chinatown. When we finally found a suitable restaurant, climbed a flight of stairs, and gave our name, Will saw a mouse run into the women’s restroom. “Grandma, Grandma, come here!” he shouted. “Go into the restroom and see if you can find the mouse that ran in.” “No! Why would I want to see a mouse?” I answered. Lucas was with Will when this all came down, but he did not see the mouse; only Will saw the rodent. Between the two of them, they made such a fuss that before we could sit down for lunch no one wanted to eat at a rodent-infested restaurant. We almost ran down the stairs and found another Chinese restaurant.
We ordered so many dishes and ate like royalty. After all we were returning, to The Royal Caribbean.
On this day alone we walked more than nine miles. When the weather permitted, I walked daily on the ship, 46 miles in 8 days.
One more thing about Seattle; you must experience eating at Duke’s and Joey’s; their food is beyond what you can imagine.
We said our goodbyes to Mikos, Jenny, Maddie and Will as we ventured for a day-long sightseeing tour of Seattle. Thank the Good Lord, the weather rolled out a red carpet of kindness.
Second Story: Answering “Yes”
Sunday morning at Mass I noticed a couple who attend daily services, but this time they had their two granddaughters. They said “yes” by bringing them to Mass. It may seem to be a simple gesture but, in reality, it was a sacrifice. We never know what turn a child’s behavior is going to take during the service. One thing for certain, a spirit of disturbance always starts right about the time of consecration. It played out when the youngest girl got loud and fidgety. This couple are seasoned; so the grandfather took the child out to calm her. The beauty of this story is that he also said “yes” to serve as a Eucharistic Minister as well. He was the last one to come to the altar to serve with us. Both girls were left in the capable hands of their loving grandmother.
Why I Say Yes
In order for me to stay connected to God I must do His work. Whether it be helping with my grandchildren, teaching a home Bible Study, or volunteering at my parish, it all comes together in a form of love that offers peace. Going to daily Mass has been my greatest growth experience because my day starts with communion with God. There is no better way to fuel your day.
Hollow App
I love my Hollow App because it allows me to explore so many different sides of our Catholic faith. For instance, I recently started a Novena to St. Margaret of Cortona. I’ve been struggling with fasting, so she is the saint you can call on to help you with this issue. Soon my body will align with the message of this novena, and, once again, my fasting will take hold.
Lately I’ve been like a bear preparing for hibernation, overeating has always been an area in my spiritual struggle.
The Seminar
Adoration, Confession and Mass
When I read the schedule, I was so excited that we were going to have Adoration and confession, followed by Mass. I had been nursing a cold/flu all week long, so I had missed my Holy Communion. And God knows how I needed to go to confession.
On the way home from the airport our Uber driver, who was new to our area, parked really far from us. It was a long trip, we were both beat from a full day of touring Seattle, and the flight home was late. We lugged our suitcases down to where he was parked. I sat directly behind him and I almost died from the horrible fumes of his body odor. I had my window down with my index finger over my nose. Mike motioned to me to put the window up and I, in disbelief, refused. He asked me again, so I reluctantly pushed the electric button and heard the sound of the window sealing me in the stench from hell. When we got home we had words, and I dropped a few “F” bombs. The next day I was sicker than a dog. Of course, my loving husband took care of me the entire week, including taking me to Urgent Care. So yes, I needed to go to confession.
Mass
I love Mass, and what better way to prepare for a teaching!
The Teachings
To be better prepared with our catechist in the fall, our diocese presented an all-day seminar. This was to equip us with godly direction we are to take with the youth of today. Since our world has shifted to “all inclusive everything” we need to take these matters into consideration. We are dealing with a generation of children suffering from torticollis. This disorder comes from all the time they spend on their devices; their necks get all twisted. Not only are their necks twisted, so are their minds.
According to The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, children and adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems including experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Ezekiel 3:18
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
18 If I say to the wicked, You shall surely die—and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade the wicked from their evil conduct in order to save their lives—then they shall die for their sin, but I will hold you responsible for their blood.
It’s our spiritual duty to redirect this misguided generation back to God. Though I’m 72 years old, God has given me the stamina and zeal to continue with this ministry. I’m teaching First Holy Communion and Confirmation Classes this year. If I can do this, so can you!
Remember God is calling us all to serve.
My Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for my healing and for Mike, who took care of all of my needs. Thank You for all our family adventures. May we always remain close to You.
Please continue to pray for my cousin’s son Ricky. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen.
The Family Alaskan Cruise
I had absolutely nothing to do with any of the planning, It was a concerted effort during family dinners as to which excursions we would take. I showed up and, surprisingly, it all worked out well. As a family we bonded.
The Ship
In 2019 several of my cousins and I took a weekend cruise into Ensenada, Baja Mexico. So I thought this cruise would be similar. It was not. I did not know what to expect on this massive monstrosity of a ship. We sailed with over 4,300 passengers and nearly 2,000 crew members.
Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of The Seas was built in Meyer Werft Shipyard in Papenberg, Germany. The Quantum-class ship is made of all metal. It first set sail in April 2014. Durning our summer months it cruises along the Alaskan coastlines,, from there is sails to Australia for excursions, which includes sites in New Zealand.
Sometime last year I watched a special on the volcanic eruption in New Zealand’s White Island. This was part of an excursion that Ovation of The Seas offered. 47 people were on the island when the volcano started to erupt; among those were 38 passengers and crew. The eruption killed 22 and injured 26. The ship remained docked for several more days and every passenger on board received a refund. I had no idea that this was the same ship.
All The Amenities
We took advantage of many of the amenities that the ship had to offer. To better familiarize ourselves, Sonja and I attended a short seminar about Juneau. We participated in a family trivia session and also took the class on how to fold napkins 10 different ways. I believe I got one down. I played Bingo with Maddie, Jacob, Jenny and Sonja. The boys played Pickle Ball and Ping pong and Will was in a basketball tournament, so on the days that we sailed we were kept pretty occupied.
Sonja made sure that we had reservations for all of our family dinners together. Two of these nights were “dress to impress” evenings. It was fun getting dressed up and posing for photos, followed by dinner. On some nights the meals were better than others. The lobster dinner was my favorite. After a few days we all had our different breakfast hangouts. Shamefully, I ate bacon and eggs daily with toast and hash browns. Needless to say I came beck with extra baggage wrapped around my waist, four pounds to be exact.
The Crew
How do you train every single crew member to be so kind? These people were exceptionally accommodating to all our needs. Even though our cabins were equipped with hair dryers, Sonja brought hers from home. She ended up knocking out the electricity for about 10 cabins on our floor. David, our housekeeper who is from India, informed Sonja to hide the dryer because they were going to search her room and possibly fine her. We had adjoining rooms so the hair dryer was placed in Mikos and Jenny’s room.
The Excursions
After listening to the Juneau seminar, all I wanted to do was eat crab legs. I was dressed for cold weather: an undershirt, topped with a turtleneck plus my raincoat. When I got off the boat the sun played me dirty. It was so hot that I had to purchase a t-shirt. I changed right outside the store and Mike graciously took my turtleneck along with the raincoat back on board. While the rest of the group took a nature hike, Mike and I strolled the streets of this quaint town.
Mikos instructed us to meet him at the Russian Orthodox Church, but it was a hike up a steep hil. By the time we arrived I was winded and needed to catch my breath. Then I discovered directly across the street the beautiful Co-Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Jacob and I lit a candle and prayed for our loved ones.
This was going to be a full day because we had scheduled a salmon bake. I do not like salmon, so I ate ribs instead. By the time evening rolled around, it was cold. Sonja lent me an extra jacket she had in her backpack. For the sake of those who do read this blog. I did not mention the numerous times I complained.
The following day was another adventure–Skagway.
Skagway
We were going to need our passports for this adventure because part of this journey involved going across the Canadian border. This bus tour led us through beautiful water falls and the suspension bridge. But the best part was seeing a bear in the wild! I can finally check that off my list.
Can someone please explain why in a town of 1,200 inhabitants there are six jewelry stores? No doctors or dentists and forget about a hairdresser, but jewelry stores they have.
Sitka
On this day our family, excluding Mike and me, rented bikes and went on an adventure, but I saw it as a triathlon. There were two casualties: first Jenny fell over her handle bars, causing injury to the palms of her hands; then Sonja followed with a fall . It seem she got tangled up in her bike. Her foot and arm were very bruised. When they showed us the photos, Russ was carrying two bikes over some big boulders. In another picture all the boys were in a boat paddling to who knows where. When they met us at the bear habitat, they still had to ride back into town! Not us, we hopped on the bus.
While Mikos gorged on crab legs, and Mike on halibut, Russ and I had the best fish and chips made with fresh halibut. It was time to board the ship.
Entertainment
Aside from the demonic New Age show, the entertainment was excellent. Traumatized from the previous show, some of the family stayed behind for their production of Dreaming. Dreaming was as entertaining as any Broadway show in New York. The singing, dancing and the sets were amazing.
Goodbye, Alaska
By the time October rolls around, 75 percent of the stores in these villages will close for winter. Overall I did see a bear in the wild, but no whales or eagles; so we must return. Part Two will be described next week.
My Prayer
Thank You, Lord, for this wonderful trip with our family. despite all of our differences and personalities and many recited Hail Mary’s we became a unit of love. Amen.