Celebrating on the high seas
Saturday was my Mom’s birthday. If she were still here on Earth to celebrate with us, she would’ve been 86.
Instead, in my heart, I prefer to believe that she celebrated her special day in Heaven with my Dad, along with our many family members and friends that have also passed on.
On Saturday morning, I retrieved a message from my cousin, Steve’s wife, Jean, whose birthday is also on June 8.
“Thinking of your mom today,” she wrote.
I replied, first wishing her a “Happy Birthday”, adding that I was raising a glass in her honor – and memory – with my friends aboard a cruise ship somewhere between Orlando, Fla. and Cuba, according to the message Verizon had provided me. Late Saturday afternoon, with cloudy skies hovering and rain drops dotting the decks, my friends and I bellied up to the Schooner Bar aboard the Adventure of the Seas cruise ship. In her honor, we raised a glass … or two … three – you get the picture, I’m sure.
Prior to the late-day “happy hour(s)” session – I should reference that we did indeed purchase the beverage package – a friend and I played Bingo for big money. We didn’t win, but it was sure fun wishing and hoping that one of us would be lucky enough to boldly shout out “BINGO.” After a “winner” was confirmed each game, the lucky souls of the $1,000-plus cash prizes were serenaded with a chorus of “boos.”
Of course, the “boos” were all in jest. I was actually happy for whoever to walk away with some flash cash in their pockets.
In her day, my Mom loved to play Bingo. And of course, just like the crowd of hundreds playing yesterday, she, too, loved winning.
As I write this, it’s day three of eight sailing on the high seas. The sun is shining, and the wind that’s blowing as the ship navigates its way to our first port – Curacao – make the gale forces we experience in good ol’ South Dakota feel like a “light breeze.” My hat blew off my head three times this morning. And fortunately, a friend, and a stranger were quick on the draw to retrieve it every time before taking flight over the blue waters. With no solution to my “big” dilemma of the day, I gave in to the wind and let my hair blow wild in the “breeze.”
If out-of-control hair is the biggest hurdle I have to jump over this week, then let ‘er buck, Mother Nature, because I’m sailing and celebrating … thanks to good friends with a good vacation idea … and of course, the perks of the beverage package.
