Post-Cruise Summary

The cruise ended quietly and appropriately. As we pulled into San Pedro around 7am on a Sunday morning, I had already been on the top deck for about an hour, while rest of family slept. While there, a lady who was a friend of Bill W.'s that I'd met earlier in the week came along side, and we shared considerably of all things related to the cruise, life and God. She left me as we docked, and I simply communed with my God in deep gratitude for all that the previous week and given me - and all that had NOT taken place.

There was no drama during the cruise. There were certainly emotional moments, but no negative dramatic situations which were in any way uncomfortable. What a blessing! The gifts of family unity in a purely entertaining 7 days were continuous. While there was plenty of "too much" - food and free time, for example - there were also plenty of "just right" - from the day of golf on Puerto Vallarta, to the day at the beach in Cabo San Lucas, to the nightly dinners with a table full of adults and a separate table full of kids, and my ability to sit at either one as the mood suited me.

But the best of the best of things about this cruise, was the final check-out, and that I did not have an exorbitant liquor bill to charge to my credit card. While I did ring up charges for photographs, golf, kids' unlimited sodas for the week, and the required gratuity for the room stewards, I got off the boat with a freekin' huge smile on my face and contentment in my heart because of my abstinence from alcohol. I can only imagine - but won't even try - what others in my traveling party of 21 might have faced in their debarkation reality.

The cruise was splendid in so many ways. But mostly, I am so grateful for just being there - for my reality of being unemployed, separated from my wife but with her and my sons in one cabin - is an incredible blessing in and of itself, and one I surely will not lose perspective - EVER.
Bringing the professional photos home to family was a post-cruise joy; brought tears to my mom's eyes immediately, and my sister was somewhat in awe. Sharing with them aspects of the cruise and my personal perspectives beyond this blog was also a joy, one which was done without any element of untruth or fabricated elaboration - for the reality of the cruise as it occurred was worthy of sharing factually, as it occurred and in reflection.