The Sea is Calling

 It's the Norwegian writing today.  

Every morning the Dear Wife (DW) and I do a devotion in the form of a private blog.  Part of my blog posting is always a song or a poem that I have read.  At some point over the last year I started running out of new poems that I could share, and began writing poetry of my own.  Most of it is only fit for the DW's consumption.  However she liked this one, and asked me to share it on this blog with all of you.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as we do.  

I will present it to you in much the same way that I present it to the DW in our devotion every morning.

Poem of the Day
For my next poem, I've been ruminating on the topic of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter for the last couple of days.  However every time I think I have something, I can't quite seem to get it down on paper.  As I was doing my devotion today the thought came to me that The Sea is Calling, and I jotted down this poem.  I hope you enjoy it.

      The Sea is Calling

The sea is calling,

     my soul hears it's cry.

I feel the pull of tides rushing out,

    calling to new adventures, new experience.

Waves pound the sand,

    undertows pull at my heart

    to places unknown.

Gulls give their forlorn cries,

    while fish dance across the swells.

Vast vistas of water and sky,

    beautiful sunrises over exotic places,

Sunsets erupting in glorious colors,

   moonbeams dancing across the waters.

Take my hand! Come with me to new adventures,

    hold me tight as we explore new lands.

Discover ourselves on the vast, ceaseless waves,

    grow in our love as we build new memories together.

 

I've been thinking a lot recently about our World Cruise next year, but it is still 10 months away.  I am almost afraid to get our hopes up for fear that they will cancel again.  

Since we still can't travel right now, we have to survive on our memories, and as I was thinking about this poem, several treasured, shared times came to mind:

• the beautiful sunrise that we saw over Diamond Head as we sailed into Honolulu, Hawaii, 
• the beautiful sunsets over the waters as we sailed south across the equator,
• the full moon coming up as the white lights danced over the waters,
• vast cathedrals of clouds, and rain falling in the distance across the waters,
• seeing the Southern Cross, and a falling star from our balcony,
• watching Sognefjord go by from our balcony, and picking out shapes and faces in the rock.

All the magical moments that we have shared, and the love that we have found in each other as we experienced these adventures together.  Remembering those magical moments today will have to suffice, and it will be enough that we can remember those moments together!  Even if something happens to disrupt next year's trip, we will always have these wonderful experiences and adventures to remember.  I cherish each and every memory of the time I spent with you.

The sea is calling!  Will you answer its call with me today?  I would love it if you would add to the list of remembrances of the times we shared that are important to you.

Addendum

Since my original post, I have added several other memories and pictures in subsequent posts that I thought I would share with you as well.

The beautiful sail away from Sydney, Australia.  We sat on our balcony onboard the Pacific Princess and watched as we silently glided past the Sydney Opera House.  Watching the city lights dim in the distance as we sat there quietly talking was a magical moment.  We get to overnight in Sydney next year, and I hope that we can actually see a production.  

Going to the art gallery in Glasgow, Scottland, and seeing the Christ of St. John of the Cross that was painted by Salvador Dali (otherwise known as The Cosmic Christ).  The sheer size of the painting is breath taking, then you start looking at the perspective and the details of the piece.  It really is a beautiful piece of art.  

I had seen this piece pictured in several books, but to actually see it in person was stunning.  That trip around the British Islands was such a fun trip.  We got to see so many wonderful places.  But the best part of the trip was that we did it together.  

Our day in Rome was wonderful, even though it was raining buckets all day.  The Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Cathedral were beautiful.  The Pieta by Michelangelo was incredible.  We couldn't get very close because there were so many people, but I was able to get a decent picture of it.  

I don't know how he was able to make the faces so realistic, but the expression on Mary's face is so filled with sorrow.  This is a beautiful sculpture.

So now it is your turn.  What are your favorite memories of past cruises, and who did you share that experience with?  Remember this is a family site!  Please share  your memories here so that we can all share them together while we are still isolated.