The Sky Speaks

 

NAUTICAL TERM OF THE DAY

"By guess and by God"

This early form of navigation  relied upon experience, intuition, and faith.
Now it means, "inspired guesswork."

We're more than halfway to Hawaii now, too far from land to be able to see many seabirds. I'd love to report sighting pods of dolphins or whales breaching off the port bow. No such luck. The Pacific is about 2.7 miles deep here, so most of the creatures who call the ocean home have more appropriate places to be than up on the surface with us. 

But the sea itself and the vault of the sky provides us with plenty to enjoy.

 I often refer to our planet as being "unneccessarily beautiful." But I'm coming to believe that it's deliberate and God loves beauty for its own sake. Why else would the whole water cycle system that keeps our planet well-watered and teeming with life also produces some of the most achingly beautiful actual "watercolor" vistas? 

Our days are falling into predictable rhythmns. We usually breakfast on the fantail so we can also relish the rising sun over the cobalt waves. I often feel overwhelmed by our great good fortune, but this morning we managed to do 3 loads of laundry before we hit the World Cafe. Maybe we deserve this pampering just a little bit. (wink!)

After breakfast, we have Bible study in Torshavn. The gospel of Mark travels at a breakneck pace, so it's a change from our leisurely crossing of the Big Blue. Then we sat in for a lecture on "The gods of Polynesia" with emphasis on the Hawaiian pantheon since that's our first destination. Mostly, the myths and legends seem to indicate that Polynesian men had a healthy respect for the ire of their women. Why else would they decide the volcanic deity was female?  

After lunch we had choir rehearsal. So far we're working on SAB (Soprano, Alto, Baritone) settings of "The Sound of Silence" and "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart." At first I was really excited because there was a stack of "Do You Hear the People Sing?" from Les Miserables up front. When I picked one up, our Cruise Director Matt had to pry it from my hand as he said, "No, I don't hear the people singing just yet." 

Bummer. Maybe he'll add it later.

As a kid, did you ever lay in the grass and imagine sky animals in the clouds? I can't decide if this one is a dragon or a pegasus. What do you see?

Before supper tonight, we'll have a 2021-2022 WC reunion in the Wintergarden. There are over 80 of us on board and more than a few survivors of the "Bus 10 Fiasco." Check out this link if you want in on the joke! 

We're planning to have supper with Earline and Steve, two new friends of ours, and afterward, it's off to the Sky Theatre for the first production show from our entertainment staff. Viking always hires such talented people. I'm sure it'll be a real treat.

More soon...