I just
returned from a 1-week cruise with my beautiful bride, and none of our children. Throughout the course of our marriage, my
wife and I have managed to find some time away once every 10-12 years or
so. This is our second trip. It was a welcome trip to be sure. I apologize for the length of this post, but
apparently rest and relaxation are the cure for writer’s block.
In the days,
weeks, and months leading up to our journey, the preparation consumed me. It had been so long coming, and I was so genuinely
excited. I researched the different food
options, analyzed activities for our days on shore, memorized deck layouts,
calculated the most affordable drink choices, researched local customs for
dealing with vendors and cab drivers, and prepared my wardrobe. Every moment I stole away to deal with any of
the above, I felt closer to the place I truly wanted to be…on that ship.
Our plans
included driving down the day before, and even that had me excited. I couldn’t wait for the meaningful conversations
my wife and I would have over 14 hours across the rural roads of Arkansas and
Texas. I’ll admit we didn’t solve any
world problems, but we survived the drive still smiling, so I call that a
success. After a poor night’s sleep in
our motel on Galveston Island, I decided to take a run down to the beach and
watch the sun come up across the waters.
A few miles later I was standing at the edge of a pier, gazing out...at the dense fog that had rolled in. I
couldn’t see a thing. I decided to head
down and run along the beach itself. If
I couldn’t look out into the Gulf, at least I could run along the edge of the
waves rolling in. Around 100 yards into
my beach run, I nearly stepped on the carcass of a dead crane that had washed
ashore. I have no idea what type of a
sign that could be, but it certainly wasn’t pretty. I continued back to the motel to watch the
paramedics treat another future cruise passenger who had enjoyed his night a
little too much and was suffering from alcohol poisoning.
After
cleaning up, we headed to mass. I really
enjoy going to different churches on vacation and seeing the buildings and the
people. This was St. Patrick’s and it
was over 100 years old. The mass
included a welcoming of the catechumens and candidates. That group included an entire family with at
least 5 young kids, all coming into the church at once. It also included a man who was probably 80
years old, and a sponsor who I assume was his wife. Why he chose to come into the church after
all those years, I don’t know…but it was a beautiful sight.
We left mass
with our timing perfectly planned for a leisurely drive to drop off the car and
head to the port. That’s when we
received the first of many messages informing us that the fog had everything
delayed at the harbor. Come back in 2
hours. Check again at 1pm. Move your scheduled times back 4 hours. Check again soon. By now I was supposed to be enjoying a
gluttonous buffet on the Lido Deck.
Instead we drove through town and stopped for lunch. We stood, waiting for a table amidst other
stranded travelers. We enjoyed a
wonderful lunch that wasn’t in the budget, and then drove around the corner to
the sight of a police line and closed road.
Apparently a jumper had taken their own life. As we enjoyed lunch, only 2 blocks from the
waterfront, surrounded by thousands of happy travelers, and tons of colorful
shops, someone had lost a battle to despair.
After all was
said and done, we finally boarded 7 hours later than expected, and spent a good
amount of that time standing. We stood
to board the shuttle. We stood to go
through customs. We stood to check
luggage. We stood to embark. I’m not complaining, because people are
amazingly forgiving at the beginning of a vacation, and I was still extremely
excited, but that’s how most of the day was spent. Just standing.
The rest of
the week was spectacular. My beautiful
bride had a smile that was somehow brighter than it had been in years. She is always beautiful, so perhaps it was my
own vision of her, seen through the rose-colored-SUNglasses of vacation, as it
were, that made her appear even more radiant.
We stood to
watch some funny events around the pool deck.
We stood to get fabulous burgers, and Mongolian food, and 3,000 calorie
taco salads, and unlimited ice cream cones.
We stood to get in and see great shows and comedians. One comedian had an “adult” show that was
extremely funny, while still refreshingly clean and appropriate. Another comedian had a “family” show where
she talked about dressing up 12 year olds to look like hookers and pimps! Obviously we do not share the same idea of
what is appropriate family content. But I digress.
All week I
coated myself with protective sunscreen, armed myself with sunglasses and an
oversized hat, and prepared myself with a backpack full of necessities. I was fully ready for any adventure we might experience, as we stood to wait for
cabs on the beautiful islands that we visited, and we enjoyed time together on
the beaches, and walked through colorful, historic streets, and met with many
interesting people.
At the end
of the trip, we made it back to St. Patrick’s for our last mass in Galveston and stood in the back of the church.
They were preparing for their own upcoming St. Patrick’s Day festival, and
selling various raffle and game tickets, which reminded me of Holy Infant parish back home. It hit me there that my vacation was nearly
over.
After many
hours on the road home, and a rainstorm that lasted the entire length of Texas,
we stopped for dinner in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
We stopped at a chain restaurant called Chicken Express. As we walked through the door, this place
made Chick-fil-A look like a liberal coffee house! A half-dozen mounted deer trophies greeted me
from the far wall. Countless pictures of
the local high school sports teams. Bible
verses and sayings everywhere. There
were two that hit me directly, however.
The first was 2 Corinthians 5:21 which was printed at the bottom of my
receipt. If you memorize that bible
verse and recite it on your next visit, you’ll get 50 cents off your meal! For those of you planning a trip to
Arkadelphia, you can thank me later!
The next
thing that hit me was the large shield on the wall, staring at me as I filled
my iced tea. It was “The Full Armor of
God.” If you haven’t seen it before,
this shield is an adaptation and slight paraphrasing of Ephesians 6:10-17. I’ve attached the picture I took, and included
the writing below:
“Stand firm
then, with the BELT OF TRUTH buckled around your waist, with the BREASTPLATE OF
RIGHTEOUSNESS in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes
from the GOSPEL OF PEACE. In addition to
all this, take up the SHIELD OF FAITH with which you can extinguish all the
flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the
HELMET OF SALVATION and the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which is the Word of God. Therefore put on the FULL ARMOR OF GOD, so
that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to STAND YOUR GROUND. And after having done all, STAND.
And so, as I
journey back to reality, and real life, and have to deal with
people who aren’t experiencing alcohol-induced-false-happiness, I put on my armor. I was not ready to go back to work, and didn’t know how to prepare to exit my vacation. Now, however, I’ve been given my orders, and I am ready to STAND.
We journeyed
into paradise. We had some of the most
beautiful views of creation in front of us.
We were surrounded by people from countless lands and cultures. We enjoyed exotic foods and company. We participated in two Lenten masses at the
beginning & end of our trip, in a church that had survived many hurricanes over its 100+ year life. Keep
your armor on and your eyes peeled, because you never know. I experienced the blinding fog, and the ocean’s
grandeur, and blowing storms. But after
all I saw and experienced, in the end, God came in a whisper…in a chicken
restaurant in Arkansas!
(Take a look
at 1 Kings 19:11-12)
Written by
Matt Buehrig
Inspired by
Wendy Buehrig
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