Fading Memories…

…like the sunset over the sea.

The other day (Jan. 7) was the first day I missed the ship, like REALLY miss the ship and ship life in it’s entirety. We spent an amazing night at Jacob’s (and roommates) apartment in Brookings. It was just a bunch of us college-age friends, living/eating/talking about God/having fun together, and it felt a little like the community life onboard Logos Hope.
How much fun it used to be to grab my sleeping bag and walk to the other side of E section to cabin 266 for a “sleepover” in Elise’s cabin! Crazy times with her, Linda, Allie, Maddy and Emily Geffert, their “5th cabinmate” as we called her! Going off the ship with friends, ministry days, performing in events, work, security watches, sailing, teaching Sunday school and little kid’s Storytime, meals in the dining room with 400 people… You lived with your friends, ate all your meals with friends, worked with friends, ministered with them – it was our home – and we made the people around us be family. It was an incredible and amazing time, living our life wrapped up in this unique ministry and lifestyle serving God!

Time helps ebb the hard memories, and the painful ones, like the tide going out to sea; leaving me with thoughts of balmy sunshine, friends and laughter, and gently rolling waves.

Though at the time, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. From my journal:

August 28, 2010

“Then I went out onto the decks to our spot behind the container with an empty chair beside me and cried. I felt like I couldn’t scream or yell loud enough to get the pain out… I think deep inside I miss Ben. Also so many of my friends are leaving. And the upcoming changes too… we can’t go back. The time we had together was just a brief breath, and then it was gone.”