The Trip That Wasn't

Our vacation began just as we had planned it, spending a weekend in Tampa with Brian, Emily, and Christopher. We ate some wonderful food. We went looking for manatees, but found sharks and dolphins and rays instead. We laughed and talked and just enjoyed being together. It was a wonderful weekend.


Then came the next part of our trip  - the "Singing at Sea" cruise. Our first stop was Key West, which I had been looking forward to since I had never been there. However, we arrived in Key West just as a cold front had arrived in Florida. We had packed for warm weather, but instead we were faced with temperatures in the 50s with 25 mph winds! Not exactly what we were expecting! The weather was pretty miserable, but in spite of that, we had fun. Eating key lime pie. Exploring. Just enjoying being together. Even so, we were very bad to get back on the ship and out of the wind.


The plan was to go from Key West to Coco Cay and then to Nassau, Bahamas. As we were walking to dinner Tuesday night, we heard the captain's announcement about the temperature in Cozumel. We thought he must be a really bad captain to be so far off course. Then we heard the news that there would be no trip to the Bahamas because of high winds and high seas. Instead we were on our way to Mexico!


I had looked forward to seeing the Bahamas, but it wasn't to be. Even so, after a very bumpy ride down to Cozumel, and then on to Costa Maya, I welcomed those 80 degree temperatures. It was a fun adventure, even though it wasn't at all what I had planned.


We had a great cruise. We heard some really good music. And some not so good! We met some nice people. We laughed a lot, particularly when listening to Dennis Swanberg and Aaron Wilburn, two Christian comedians you really should hear. We enjoyed time away. Time to relax and refresh. Time to see new places we had never seen. Time to enjoy the beauty of God's creation. It was a good week.


But all good things must come to an end, so we got off the ship and headed home, with a stop in Perry, GA for time with dear friends. Good food. Good conversation. Lots of laughs and hugs. We worshiped with them on Sunday, and then headed back home.


Refreshed. Renewed. By time with family. By the cruise, even though it wasn't exactly what we had expected. By time with friends. By worship.


As we are settling into "reentry", unpacking, doing laundry, getting back into regular routines, I am doing so with a smile on my face. Because even when things don't go exactly according to plan, God is good. And I am blessed.


"For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations."
(Psalm 100:5 KJV)