Light, Love, Hope

The travel bug has bitten me.  I have been blessed to travel to several extraordinary places in my 50 years, but I yearn for more experiences.  Early on in my 20s, a friend sent me plane tickets to Alaska not once but twice!  Exploring Alaska is unlike anything you will ever experience in life.  It is a must-see!

I remember it just like it was yesterday.  Shirley, the little naive girl from the South, ventured out on the journey with nobody else accompanying her as she rode on the airplane for the very first time.  Imagine the thrill and terror all rolled into one as I stepped foot on the airplane.  Upon take-off, the strong force pushed my head back against the seat as I gripped the armrest. I prayed the entire time we were taxiing down the runway before the wheels left the ground!

Atlanta, Georgia was the next stop to change planes.  My friend, Tara, met me at the airport.  This was during the times when visitors could actually be inside the terminal before 911 happened and security was increased everywhere.  It was so pleasant walking with Tara, as she made sure to get me to the right concourse so I didn’t miss my next flight.  Man, those were the days!!   I say that because at the next stop, my friend, Chris, met me with her family in Salt Lake City, Utah on my layover!   We sat around talking and laughing as the time passed way too quickly.  We snapped some pictures (I wouldn’t be who I am without documenting the occasion with a picture, of course!), and then Chris hugged me before she and her family waved goodbye as I disappeared into the airplane to find my seat.

Arriving in Alaska was surreal.  My friend picked me up at the airport and whisked me away to begin my Alaskan adventure.  The time difference was only four hours, so it wasn’t that brutal, but it did take 14 hours of traveling to reach my destination.  We rested, and then the next day, we set out to explore.

(The pictures are definitely “dated” with the grainy look from the film back then, but I’m thankful to have these sweet memories despite the quality.  There were no pocket cell phones with the ability to take crystal clear photographs in those days!  ~gasps~  It was almost 23 years ago!)

The morning fog covered the mountains at first, but by mid-morning, the clouds rolled back to reveal the most beautiful, breathtaking, monstrous mountains my eyes had ever seen!!   My family and I would vacation in the “mountains” of North Carolina, and I thought they were amazing.  Well, the mountains of Alaska made the mountains of North Carolina look like ant hills!

We hiked to the baby blue glaciers, took pictures in front of a waterfall coming off the side of a mountain, and rode four wheelers on a frozen lake!  It was unbelievable!

“Don’t go off somewhere else, we have yet to fish for King Salmon!”

What?

King Salmon?

Oh, that was an adventure!

I distinctly remember stepping in waders all the way up to my hips and laughing.  What a sight I was, for sure!  But, they were needed if we were going to stand in the creeks as the salmon swam upstream.  My pal, Cal, the most beautiful Black and Tan German Shepherd thought it would be cool to “fish” also.  The only problem was the current was so swift, it swept him off of his four feet faster than we could reach him in the creek.  We scrambled to get a rope to hold on to as my friend ventured deeper into the creek after Cal.  Within minutes – that seemed more like hours – Cal was back on solid ground, shaking his thick coat and looking at us like he was ready for another adventure.  Shortly thereafter, a King Salmon almost as big as me hit my line.  I definitely needed backup to pull him in as he twisted, turned, flapped, and struggled against the current and my rod trying his darnedest to get away!  Ah, but with reinforcement with what turned into a team effort, we wrangled the King Salmon and made him ours!!

I visited Alaska in the summer, which was like a dream being in the Land of the Midnight Sun!  We rode motorcycles at midnight, where it was just as bright at that hour as if it were midday, noon.  They truly do have 24 hour daylight in the summer months, and you need heavy blankets or room darkening shades to sleep when it’s like that!  Then, in the winter, it gets dark so early – really around 4 p.m. – that depression is very real for many residents during that time.  I enjoyed seeing both seasons, but if I had to do it over again, I would only visit in the summer.  The air was so cold in the winter that it was like razerblades cutting into my face when I ventured outdoors without full face coverings or ski masks.  Even still, I appreciated the generosity and the experience to travel from one end of the United States to the other – twice – to see God’s Country in Alaska!   I’m certainly no world traveler, as there is lots more for me to see, but I am thankful and completely grateful to have seen The Last Frontier!

Pictures have become an obsession of mine, as they are memories we are able to preserve in a frame.  It’s like a look inside our love window any time we desire to step back in time and “remember when …”

Walking along the beach as the sun began to set on the Big Island of Hawai’i last year, we stopped to place our camera on a rock with the self timer in order to snap a series of pictures.  This was one such picture, and although our faces you cannot see, our body language speaks volumes.

We danced on the white sandy beaches of Hawaii as the sun slipped lower and lower from the sky, soon to be swallowed up by the sea.  All of our cares melted away, and we felt so free!  It was as if just the two of us were on the beach lost in that moment in time.  Leaning in at first for a kiss, the snap of the camera captured this perfect moment as I threw my head back, and we went in for the “dip!”

It has now been seven months since that picture was taken.  Every time we look at it, we are reminded not only of the beauty that surrounded us on the island but in our hearts as well.

It’s far more than just a vacation picture.  It’s a look into our relationship, into the fun we have together, and into what makes us who we are without fear of judgment from others.  We’re on an adventure together in this life.  Ours won’t look like anyone else’s, and it shouldn’t.  Our path is unique to us, just as the love we have for each other is as well.

Make no mistake.  I’m not trying to say our marriage has been perfect.  There are no perfect relationships.  Every married couple will go through times where they feel the storms of life are tossing them to and fro.   Some days it’s as if you’re lost at sea with huge swells threatening to sink your boat or send you crashing into the rocks.  Right then and there you have to make a decision to ban together to ensure that does not happen.  You are a team, you make a plan, and you stick to it until you’re safely on shore …. together.  That’s the key right there.  You stick together, through the good and the bad … happy and sad … until you’ve overcome!

And on days you get discouraged, reflect back on happier times and strive to bring those back.  Do not give up until that has happened and you’re dancing around once again enjoying life together hand in hand or safe and secure in each other’s arms.

Love … even when the other person offends you, hurts your feelings, says or does something without thinking that harms your heart … choose love every time.  Forgiveness allows you to push wrongs out of the way and allow love back in.  For love wins … every time!

Yesterday we were out on the lake enjoying the day with friends.  Upon returning home, we learned of two boats colliding on a river in Savannah, Georgia.  Sadness fell upon me as I thought of the families involved in the accident.  They were probably just like us and wished to spend the day together enjoying the water.  I’m sure they envisioned lots of laughter and fun, but at 10:30 a.m., two boats collided leaving several dead at the scene and several missing who were later recovered this morning in 14 feet of water near the site of the boat accident.

It is estimated by US Coast Guard statistics that 80% of reported fatalities happen when the operators of these boats have NOT received safety training.

My husband and I took a boating safety class three years ago, and shortly thereafter, we became members of a power squadron at a lake about an hour from our hometown.  Safety was of the utmost importance since we planned to have our daughters onboard.  We had our vessel inspected to make sure it passed the safety inspection, and we have all of our emergency gear onboard (but pray we never have to use them).  We have cruised our local lakes such as Lake Murray, Lake Hartwell, Lake Jocassee, and Lake Keowee.  Feeling more confident with our friends in the boat club,  we have also ventured out with them in 2020 taking the boat from Charleston to Beaufort, South Carolina on the Intracoastal Waterways.  My husband and I loaded up the boat and toured Georgetown, South Carolina on our own and even went to Harker’s Island to visit the Cape Lookout Lighthouse by boat in North Carolina in 2021.  That was one of the best and most memorable trips we have taken, and our youngest daughter was onboard during this trip with our oldest daughter taking in the views via FaceTime.  The lighthouse was breathtakingly beautiful, and we had the island basically to ourselves to explore.  We witnessed dolphins playing, and it was the most peaceful day.  One word of caution, though.  Research the tides in that area before you set out for the day.  Be aware of when low tide is so you will not be stranded and at the mercy of when high tide decides to roll in hours later to lift your boat off the sandy bottom.  If you can make it to your destination at low tide, then high tide will be a piece of cake!  There were times on our route to the lighthouse that we were nervously navigating through the “S” channel that took us over to the island, but high tide was a breeze coming back!

Stay alert!

When we are out on the waters having fun, we are also on guard and aware of our surroundings.  We take turns at the helm, and when my husband is driving the boat, I am looking out for any boaters we might cross paths with.  He does the same when I’m driving as well.  Just because WE know the rules of the water and which boat is to give the right-of-way, others have NOT taken the safety classes and just don’t know what standard protocol is when approaching another boat.  We have seen this too many times on the lake, especially on holiday weekends such as this.  Just yesterday we encountered a boat that clearly did not know who had the right-of-way, and in this case, even though YOU may know the rules, your first duty is to avoid a collision at all cost!  So, you give even when you are supposed to have the right-of-way.  You turn the direction you know you aren’t supposed to because they clearly aren’t turning the way they are supposed to either.  First and foremost, you are to ensure the safety of your passengers each and every time you step into the boat.  You are the captain, and this is your duty!  It doesn’t make you any less of a boater because you gave way when you shouldn’t have.  Avoiding a collision is what you are called to do each and every time, whether you’re in your car or on your boat!

A lot of speculation is going on at the moment with people betting alcohol was a factor in the accident.  There has been reports of one individual boating under the influence (BUI) thus causing the accident that claimed lives and caused injuries yesterday.  Sadly, you can be doing everything right and something like this still happens in a spit second.  I think of this when we’re on the boat as well.   Some wonder HOW this can happen at 10:30 a.m. in broad daylight.  It’s one thing if it’s at night and no one has their lights on, although they are supposed to have their navigational lights on at dusk.  But at 10:30 a.m.?  How could you not see another boat approaching?  Speed boat racing, maybe … yes.  Two center consoles?  NO!

Travel at a reasonable speed!

Keep a look out in the distance for any boaters or jet skiers.  Your head almost needs to be on a swivel with the number of boaters on a holiday weekend.  Ask someone else in the boat to be on look out with you as well.  My husband and I point out vessels we see approaching that might be a threat so we clear the path for them when we see they might not know the rules on the water.  Survival has to be an instinct out there, just like breathing air.   Safety needs to be a priority!  Yes, have fun on the water, enjoy the sun sparkling and reflecting off the water like diamonds, but be SAFE out there.

Check the weather!

We have never been more concerned about the outside conditions until we started riding horses in 2014 and became boat owners in 2018.  Before you head out, check to see what the weather will be like and also check the winds.  Any time winds are over 10 knots, it can make for a rough day on the water.

I speak for safer boating activities.  May 21 through May 27, 2022 was National Safe Boating Week.  It’s not too late to join a class or take measures to ensure you and your loved ones are boating safely on the waters!  You don’t necessarily have to join a power squadron like we did, but there are things you can do to ensure your family and friends are safe on the water.