Sailing 2011

Welcome aboard Kingdom Bloggers. I say that to myself, as much as to you – since this is my first time taking the helm of this word-ship.

Ah… sitting in the captain’s seat, floating blissfully across the sea of words wherever my heart desires.

*Ahem* Doug. Where do you think you’re going?

Oh, right, sorry.

Um, well, actually, I do have the rudder but I better pay attention because we have a charted course – and, she’s drifting away. Maybe we can catch her, hold on.  

Can you see her; 2011? With every breath you take, she blows further out to sea. Rocking, sleeping, on the waves of time. She's drifting further from the shores-of-the-present, deeper and deeper into the seas-of-the-past. With each click of the clock she gets harder to see. Just think, we all rode that boat, and there she goes. But, if we hoist the sails and tack with tact, I believe you’ll see a silhouette of 2011 as she dips into the horizon. And hopefully you’ll see what beauty she has left in her wake.

Look there, toward the bow (front), near January, I can see my wife Roxy. We just flew to Minnesota to be with our daughter Kayla, who was with child. We traded warm sunny peaceful Florida for cold, windy, snowy Minnesota. Why? Because that’s what love does. We flew there five days before her due date, so we wouldn’t be late, we weren’t – she was.  We stayed with our daughter Tammy and then our son Travis and we waited and waited and...

Kayla’s twin brother, Josiah visited for as many days as he could. I remember he wanted to see the baby so much and hated to leave. “Come on Kayla, can’t you just pop it out. I wanna see it,” he said. Twins are so tight.  We thought the baby was late, but when 8lb., 2.9 oz., 20.5", Urijah Nathaniel Brooks took his first breath outside his mother at 2:57 a.m. we knew he was right on time.

The time we spent together wasn’t spent at all, but an investment, a wonderful, precious crown jewel in 2011.  Where were you? Who did invest time with?

Shift your eyes back just a little, and there I am on another journey. This time for work, to the northeast. Seems like I’ll never get to thaw out in sunny Florida. Roxy stayed home, my son-in-law, Kenny, went along with me. We worked and talked and drove, the trip wasn’t a huge success if measured monetarily, as a matter of fact, it was a bust, if measured in dollars and cents. But we had time, a pocket of time – and that pocket-watch glitters more than gold.  

About mid-ship you’ll see us headed back to Minnesota again, this time we’re working. All in a blur time flies by. But, there’s a diamond, we found. A spot for our camper next to the lake, and on weekends the family would visit. We had time, it wasn’t long, it flew too quick, but we had time. Fishing and swimming and sliding down the big-slide into the water, we had a time.  

Kayla lost her sunglasses in the lake at the bottom of the slide. They searched and couldn’t find them. After saying the prayer we always say when we lose something:

 “Father you know where those glasses are, and if You were looking for something, and if we could help You find it as easily as You can help us, we would. So, please help us find these glasses.”

I dove down and swept the sandy bottom with my hands and BAM there they were. I put them on top of my head before I surfaced, and acted like I didn’t know they were there. Kayla’s eyes lit up.

“OMG, how did you find them, Dad?”

I played dumb, (wasn’t too tough), shrugged and said, “What are you talking about?”

Kayla laughed, “Dad, seriously, how did you do that.”

To keep me from getting haughty for being such a tremendous sea diver, my granddaughter noticed something, “Papa, you have a booger right there.” (Oh boy – maybe I should leave that part out of the story.) It was a glorious time – boogers and all.

All too soon the leaves blew from the trees and we were back in Florida. I was asked to pray before our RV Park Thanksgiving meal and I heard myself say something like this: Lord, we’ve heard it said; With You a thousand years is as a day, and a day is as a thousand. So today as we give You thanks, may it be as a thousand. And if we may ask just one thing, we invite you to join us as our Guest of Honor.  And with each word spoken, with each crumb broken, let us treat each other as if we’re dining with The King.

 

Toward the aft, near the end of 2011 Christmas came and went, filled with ribbons and lights and songs and presents; always a highlight in any year.  But sometimes, the glitter and lights tangle with time, and rather than time well spent -- time’s wells are spent.

Now, the tree is put away, the lights are still up, but not turned on at night. The presents are buried somewhere with the others. The pie and candy has all been eaten, now they’re being worn like Christmas sweaters we want to shed.

But the one gift that can’t be buried, the one that shines from bow to aft, front to back, January thru December, the best one of all, the one that God gave, the one the matters most, whether rich or poor, young or old; we can give this priceless gift, and give it well: Time.  

Thank you for the present of your presence and welcome aboard 2012.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son and called Him Immanuel meaning God with us; His Presence.
   

(p.s .I hope you didn’t get sea-sick with all the ship talk jargon.  I suppose it’s because I’ve been looking at sailboats lately)