Rebecca Carpenter

     As I sit on the deck, I see an endless expanse of water.  Light blue, slightly cloudy sky contrasts with darker blue, wavy water.  Constant, undulating waves are sprinkled with white foam as saltwater crests and falls.  There is a comforting, peaceful sameness as I gaze through the white, thin rails of the boat to the water below.  Wind blows across the deck and flips my paper as it also causes me to shiver.  A steady procession of energetic people walks the promenade deck in front of me.  Some walk briskly alone while others meander while chatting with friends.  All are getting morning exercise.

     For now, I relish the time alone to enjoy the scenery and the magnificence of God’s creation.  Clumps of brown seaweed dot some of the waves and point our way as the boat heads toward the Florida Straits.  Soon we will pass Key West and then Cuba even though we will not see them.  However, seaweed is evidence that we are near land.  I think of the early explorers who were desperate to find land after weeks or months of sailing into unknown waters.  They continually searched for signs of land while they were being tossed about.  Some were confident that land would be reached while others thought that they would be lost forever.

    Isn’t that the way we view life as we sail forward on a vast sea of possibilities?  Some periods are like the sea with small waves, clear skies, and a few signs to indicate that land is near.  The evidence may be like clumps of seaweed, far off ships, or specks of land.  We may be accurate in our assessment of the signs or we may be totally wrong such as thinking that a faraway ship is a building.  When we get a sign, we need to discern if it is valid and then explore further.  

     Like today’s calm sameness, we may feel that our lives are boring and too routine.  Often, we “invent” signs so we can convince ourselves that God is leading us in a certain way out of the boredom.  Perhaps we require a time of rest and contemplation for the rough seas ahead. 

     Instead of tiny, small clumps of seaweed, I now see a steady stream of seaweed moving past the ship.  In our lives we may observe a series of signs and events which might be pointing us in the right direction.  After special consideration, we can determine God’s plan for us.  Then as we near the shore, we can rejoice in the voyage and that we were patient and followed His path.

     Bright lights shining, large smiles, applause.  The ventriloquist’s show brought peals of laughter and loud clapping from the audience.  His dummy was taller and more muscular than he was but still perched on his leg.  His hand rested on the dummy’s neck to stimulate the mouth to open and close as he projected his voice through closed lips.  The dummy’s head turned while his eyes opened widely to add expression to his voice.  The crowd loved the show with the life sized dummy who walked away at the end of his act.

     When my husband, Alan, returned to his seat from the stage, we were both laughing as I told him that no one at home would believe that he had agreed to be a “dummy” for the ventriloquist one evening on our cruise. For the remainder of our cruise, passengers would stop him to comment on how much they enjoyed his act.  They even thought that he had rehearsed ahead of time–which he hadn’t.  One lady said that she had laughed so hard and would remember him the rest of her life.  I am still amazed that my conservative, distinguished looking husband would consent to go onstage to perform as a dummy.  Life is full of surprises.