Put the Family Back Together

 My devotional this morning contained this little story:

A busy father was looking for a way to entertain his young daughter. He found a map of the world in a magazine and cut it into pieces. He gave the pieces to his child and suggested she try to piece the map back together. After a very short time, she said she had finished. He was very surprised by how quickly she had done it. He asked her how she had managed to do it so fast. She replied, "I noticed when you took the page out of the magazine that on the back of the map of the world there was a picture of a man and a woman. I thought that if I could put the man and the woman back together, I could put the world back together."

We live in a world that is torn apart.  We will never be able to put the world back together without strong families.  While thinking about this, I was reminded of an amazing Marriage Retreat we attended in Hawaii.  The guest speaker was Dr. James Hughes and each session was outstanding.  I've included a few points, but you can read them all here:  Session 1, Session 2, Session 3, and Session 4. 

What keeps families together?
We've heard it over and over "the family that prays together, stays together."  Brother Hughes says, "the family that plays together, stays together."  When problems start you stop enjoying life.
Ephesians 4:1 "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called."  The word worthy means balance.  Good times give you resources to endure the hard times. 

You can't parent one another.  
Don't try to fix each other.
Every human typically plays three roles in life:  child, adult, parent.
Relationships  can only be on equal levels.  You can only be friends with someone on your same level (you are not your child's friend.)  When you become a parent don't stay in that role with each other.  Parent your children, not each other.  Be careful how you talk to one another. Odds that your marriage will make it to 50 years is 2.5%.  That is such a sad statistic!  This happens when a couple becomes empty nesters but they haven't spent their parenting years relating to one another as equals. 

Can You Imagine Growing Old Together?
This is a question Sis. Hughes asked her husband many years ago.  In order to do that, you must work at your marriage.  You have to learn day by day.  Every day is a new opportunity to strengthen your marriage.  Learn to enjoy every day. 

Phones are More Dangerous Than a Gun
Our most powerful instinct is to be safe.  Your brain is constantly checking.  The survival instinct never turns off, even while asleep.  Phones never trigger a defensive mechanism.  The brain cannot tell you are in danger.  Text messages that seem innocent have the power to destroy.
Smart phones numb life.  Be not drunk with social media, texting, Facebook.
People get hurt by media.  They aren't going to learn the gospel online,  they must be in an environment where the Spirit can be felt. 

It does not take a village to raise a child, it takes a set of parents.

The Epidemic of America is Broken Families
In 1950 5% of children were born illegitimately.  In 1985 that number was 50%.  God didn't give children to be raised by strangers.  

Child Development is Really Family Development
If you don't have a good example, you can start a new standard for your family.
It took one family to wreck the world.  One family can make it right for their children.  Strong families bring revival.
 

I went back a few more years and found posts from a previous Marriage Retreat with Dr. Hughes.  You can read both posts here and here.  Here are just a few more tidbits: 

Marriage is Valuable.
You can't abuse anything until you make it worthless.  You build a vault around what is valuable.  If your spouse is valuable, you will build a wall of safety around them. 

Every time Jesus talked about forgiveness it was in regards to the family.

Storms ARE going to come.   

We must have a strong foundation in order to survive.  There may be times when we are just holding on to driftwood, but we can find protection IN the trouble, not from trouble.

How Will You Handle Offense?
Luke 17:1-10 was the text. In verse one Jesus said, "It is impossible but that offences will come." There's no way around it, it's going to happen. God does not give us the right to settle a score. Confrontation does not solve problems.
Our most powerful need is revenge. You can't transfer pain through revenge. You have to deal with it.
How can I forgive when I can't forget? Forgive and choose to manage the memory.

The little girl in the story had it right - if we ever hope to fix the world, we have to put the couple back together.

Belated Birthday Post and II Chronicles 16:9

Last Friday was Les' 59th birthday.  We had a great day.  It started with a 2 mile walk then we went out to breakfast.  He did have a few meetings that took up the middle of his day, then we headed to Buca di Beppo for dinner.  Their food never disappoints!  We shared the Double Dark Chocolate Cake for dessert and it was delicious!  Our last stop was at Road Runner Sports.  Les got a new pair of running shoes.  He's been going with me on the trail about once a week but needed some new road shoes.

My Bible reading this morning included II Chronicles chapter 16.  Verse 9 is an important part of Les' testimony and I thought it would be a great time to re-post his story of God's miraculous healing.  I've taken notes from a message Les preached a couple of years ago about his healing of Muscular Dystrophy and want to share them in his own words:

During my Kindergarten year I experienced a rapid decrease in my ability to get around. I lost the ability to jump, run, walk up stairs and would complain about my legs hurting. Once, Mom mentioned that I seemed to be struggling keeping up with the others at play. I answered that my new pants weren’t broken in yet and they were slowing me down. To this point, my parents wrote it off as growing pains and growth spurts.

But on a camping trip with three boys and two Moms – Mom’s friend noticed how I walked and ran. She said something looked very wrong and that I should be checked out. Later that summer, my Grandmother was visiting and told my Mother that something was seriously wrong with me and that I should be taken immediately to a doctor.

At this point, I could not walk up stairs without help. At home I crawled on my hands and knees. In public, Mom or Dad would assist me.

At the doctor’s office, I was unable to hop on one foot, or jump over a small block using both feet. Our doctor referred us to a specialist and arranged for an appointment.

First thing the doctors had me do was walk up a flight of stairs, which I couldn’t do. One doctor commented to the other, “ Have you ever seen it this bad in one so young?” They thought they were out of earshot, but my Mother overheard them say this. Doctors ran more tests, prescribed some exercises to be done at home, then scheduled a follow-up visit for two weeks later.

Before getting in the car, I wanted to go over to a fountain near where the car was parked. Mom gave permission and watched from the driver’s seat as I went over to the fountain. She broke down in the car and asked God what was happening to her little boy. As she lay her head on the steering wheel weeping, the Lord spoke to her and said, “Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in doctors, believe also in me.”

A couple of nights later, Mom and Dad started to do our first session of exercises. As we began, conviction gripped their hearts. They decided that if God was going to do something, He would get all the glory and nobody would be able to take credit for any part of it. We never did those exercises again.

That Sunday in church, by the gift of tongues and interpretation in operation, a message came to congregation. The message started by quoting II Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” The Lord went on to say that there were needs in that place that only He could meet, and that if you would just have faith in Him, every need could be met.

As a spirit of worship swept through the auditorium, my parents felt like this was to them, and they took me up to have me prayed for.

A couple of nights later, the same family we had camped with was over for dinner and we three boys were in the basement playing. Upstairs, they heard a bunch of whooping and hollering and came down to see what was going on. When they stepped into the recreation room, the first thing they saw was ME running around the room with my friend on my back!

A few days after that, I went back to the doctor for my follow-up visit. The doctor ran full tests again. He commented to my Mother, “Looks like the exercises have helped.” But my Mother said, “We haven’t been doing the exercises. What happened is that a lot of prayers have been going up for this boy, and God has healed him of this disease." The doctor told her that he wasn’t sure about that, but whatever we were doing, to keep on doing it.

And that was the last time I ever saw that doctor.

That little boy who couldn't walk up stairs, is the man who rode his bike across the country, has hiked the Grand Canyon, he skis, swims, and runs, and keeps me on my toes!

I am so thankful for praying parents and for a prayer answering God!

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (Day 7, Part 2 of 2)

 

Since we weren't suppose to dock in Victoria until 7:00 p.m. we hadn't made any plans.  What we ended up with was a pleasant final evening of our vacation.  After walking for about 25 minutes, we found ourselves at the back of the Parliament buildings.

The Parliament Buildings of British Columbia, Canada were officially opened in February 1898. However details, refinishing, additions and upgrades were ongoing until 1915. The buildings are the official residence for the B.C. Parliament to pass laws and where the Provincial Legislative Assembly gather and discuss the direction of the province. 

 

 

There were numerous memorials for fallen first responders.  Search and Rescue:

Paramedics:

 

 

Fire Fighters:

 

Law enforcement:

 

War Memorial to the Unknown Soldier:

 

The only picture of just me and Lori!  More than one crew member asked us if we were sisters.  I gladly claim her!

 

Victoria is known as the Garden City.  The flowers were just beautiful.

I loved these hanging baskets:

We made our way to the front of the building not long before the lights came on.

We finished the evening back on the ship, stretching out our time together as long as possible.

Disembarkation day happened in a blur of breakfast, grabbing our luggage, and goodbye hugs before heading to the airport.  We were happy that our flights both getting to Seattle and getting back home were on time and our luggage arrived safely.  A good time was had by all!

The Passenger Vessel Services Act ~ AKA Basically One More Day At Sea (Day 7, Part 1 of 2)

In case you haven't read my blog in a while, we recently took a cruise to Alaska.  You can read the posts in order by going to this page right HERE!  If you're all caught up you may be wondering, "Didn't she say they were traveling with their friends, Lori and Doug?  Where are their pictures?"  We weren't always together, but when we were, we were just having too much fun to pull our phones out!  I asked Lori if she had any pictures of the four of us and she only had a couple as well.  Being present with those you love is still more important than pictures you can post.  You won't find a finer couple than these two right here:

 

Day 7 was another day mostly at sea.  I should have done more research on this particular route.  We ended up with almost a 1 to 1 ratio of port days versus sea days.  Day 7 was listed as "Victoria, B.C." but upon closer inspection we would not arrive in port until 7:00 p.m.  The real reason for this stop is known as the PVSA:

All cruises sailing from the U.S. must stop in Canada or another foreign port due to the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA). Under this act, foreign-flagged ships must visit at least one foreign country during the cruise. A cruise line would face significant penalties for not complying.

 

PVSA came into force in 1886. At the time, U.S. ferries & passenger liners were feeling squeezed out of domestic shipping routes by foreign companies. 

We would definitely have preferred more time in ports like our 12 night trip to Europe.  We stopped in seven ports with only three full days at sea.  For me, the point of cruising is exploring new places!

 

We were well rested on this final day so Les headed to the Fitness Center. I joined Lori and Doug in the theater for two more presentations. The first was with the Head Chef and the Director of Restaurant Operations (formerly known as the Maitre d'hotel.)   The typical cruiser eats SEVEN meals a day!  With over 3,000 passengers, we're talking over 15,000 meals a day.  It's pretty amazing the quality of food that is produced in a floating restaurant.

This was one part cooking demonstration and one part comedy.  The head chef was definitely the serious one of the duo, who tried to keep the director of restaurant operations from making too big of a mess.  The meal they made included Caesar salad, a pasta dish, a main dish and a black forest cake.   

 

We stayed in the theater for the final presentation by our naturalist.  He talked about the native Alaskans.  When Les and I visited the Saxman Totem Park in Ketchikan we noticed many similarities between Alaskan and Hawaiian cultures. 

 

We were content to spend the afternoon visiting and relaxing.  We found a spot on the Lido deck a little ways from the pool and the sun felt wonderful.  Sadly, we had to return to our rooms to start packing so we could have our suitcases ready to go out that evening.

 

As with many cruise lines, Princess cruises has several "specialty" restaurants onboard.  These are typically an up charge, but our experience has been they are worth it.  We had credit for a meal in one of the restaurants and had made reservations for the Crown Grill prior to our trip.  This was an excellent meal and our waiter, Vlatko, was outstanding!  He started with us ladies and we both ordered Filet Mignon.  Les also ordered the filet.  When it was Doug's turn, he ordered "fried chicken," something that was not on the menu.  Vlatko immediately asked "KFC?  Spicy or extra crispy?"  Our entire meal was like that with Vlatko joking right back with us.  The salted caramel crème brulee cheesecake we had was also excellent.

 

Our ship was already in port when we finished our meal and we all decided we needed to walk off some of the deliciousness.  Part 2 of our final day coming soon!

Another Day at Sea (Day 6)

 

After three full days in three ports we were ready for a day at sea.  AKA a day of rest!  And rest is exactly what we did.  When we finally made it to breakfast the World Fresh Marketplace (AKA the buffet) was quite crowded.  We ended up sharing a table with a group from Santa Clarita, California.  Practically neighbors.

 

 

The man next to me at breakfast was bemoaning the fact that they hadn't seen any whales on their excursion in Sitka.  Just seconds after those words came out of his mouth, he pointed out the window.  At first we thought he was joking, but we kept an eye out and pretty soon we saw not one, but two whales! 

 

We attended another North to Alaska presentation by our naturalist.  This time it was about glaciers and polar bears.  Other than that, it was a super mellow day with at least one nap!

Because we had eaten such a late breakfast, we skipped lunch.  Around 3:00 we decided we were hungry and ordered some room service.  The Princess Medallion App is great for that.  You can see what is available, what is complimentary and what has a small charge.  Once your order is placed, you can see when it is on its way.  This works for delivery anywhere on the ship.

Another cool feature on the app is "Shipmates."  You can connect with your traveling companions and then find them anywhere on the ship.  Lori found the pastry shop!

 

One thing we noticed on our cruise in February was the quality of the food.  I felt like most of the food we ate was very, very bland.  The food on this cruise was much better!  We had never cruised with Princess before this year, so I don't know if some of that was influenced by the long shutdown due to COVID. With cruise lines trying to get back up and running after an 15 month shutdown, I hope this is a sign that things are getting closer to normal.  The number of people on the ship certainly felt like the old days of cruising.

The one area that I feel Princess really needs to work on is their desserts.  Especially their cakes.  It seemed like every cake had some sort of mousse.  When I want cake, I just want cake and frosting.  The proportion of cake to mousse and/or frosting was way out of balance.  We had carrot cake one night.  The menu said "with cream cheese frosting."  What we got was three flat layers with more of a whip cream/mousse frosting.  It was so disappointing!  Doug, Lori and I all ordered it and none of us ate more than two bites.  This was a chocolate pistachio dome that Les ordered.  The only one worthy of a picture!

We definitely enjoyed the gelato shop.  My only "complaint" is that it was only open from 2-9 p.m. each day!

Otters, Raptors, and Bears, Oh My! Sitka (Day 5, Part 2 of 2)

 

 

We decided to book an excursion in Sitka since we had credit from our canceled Skagway train ride.  We had little to go on when making our decision, so we chose "Best of Sitka ~ Otters, Raptors, and Bears."  This was a three part excursion and ended up being very enjoyable. This was also the only day that we got rained on.  We were inside most of the time, so we didn't mind.  "There is no bad weather, just poor clothing choices."  We were dressed just right for this adventure!

 

Part one was the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest, which took place on a catamaran.  We cruised around Sitka Sound for over two and a half hours.

There was both indoor and outdoor seating, along with hot chocolate and coffee.

We cruised around and saw a few whales.  They were quick and not at all interested in showing themselves.  We finally found a group of otters, just hanging out together.  The captain didn't get too close so our pictures aren't great.

 

After heading back to shore we boarded a bus.  Next stop - the Alaska Raptor Center.  The center provides medical treatment to over 200 injured birds each year.  While most of the birds were bald eagles, there were also several types of owls, falcons and hawks.  The goal is to return the birds to the wild if at all possible, but some are injured too severely to fully recover and survive in the wild.

Our first stop was the Flight Training Center.  There was no flying going on at that time, but thanks to one way glass we were able to see the eagles without them being disturbed.

We then met Spirit.  She is available for adoption (to assist financially with her care) on the Alaska Raptor Center website.  Her bio says, :

Spirit found her way to the Alaska Raptor Center on September 11th, 2016 after being discovered in a ditch in Juneau, most likely the result of being hit by a car.  Though she mostly escaped unharmed, Spirit has a head tilt and very limited vision in her left eye due to scarring.  She is fully-flighted but because of her limited eyesight and young age, would not do well in the wild. Her dark brown feathers let us know that she had just left her nest before her injury. Spirit turned 5 in 2021.  Being so young, Spirit is still working on her vocalizations and will often make grunting noises or chirps at her handlers.

 

While our group sat quiet and still, Spirit showed off her beauty.  She tried to fly away once, but her trainer got her back on the glove without too much trouble.

 

We then walked outside to visit more of the raptors...

The sound that these birds made confirmed to us that what we heard when hiking the Mt. Roberts trail was definitely an eagle!

 

 

Finally, this is Rain.

 

Part of her bio reads:  Rain was rescued and sent to the Center from Juneau, Alaska on April 4, 2017. She was able to fly short distances, but it was clear that she had a problem with her right wing. Upon examination, it was found that there was severe damage to her right wingtip that could not be repaired. It is unknown what caused the injury, but we suspect that it could have been from powerline electrocution. Surgery was scheduled to amputate the wingtip, which left Rain unable to fly. 

 

Our third and final stop was the Fortress of the Bear. Until 2007 the state of Alaska had no bear rehabilitation program in place, and unfortunately orphaned cubs were routinely shot by the Department of Fish and Game for lack of an alternative. The mission of Fortress of the Bear is to rescue cubs, bring them back to health and provide a long life full of enrichment.  Their goal is to work with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game to someday release rehabbed bears back into the wild.

 

 

 

You can read each bear's story here.  Most of them have a sibling who was rescued with them.  I'm always sad when wild animals are orphaned, but I'm glad they have this wonderful place to live, eat, play and grow.

We rode the bus back to the port and that was the end of our time in Sitka.  We didn't get to see the town at all.  This was also our last stop in Alaska.  We still had two more days on the ship, with one brief stop in Canada, so there's more to come.