Setting the Tone for 2002 and beyond

Julie -

> Don't recall from your sign in form what
> time zone you are in, but at Midnight
> Pacific time we (meaning myself, God and the
> folks who signed the Guestbook!) were
> celebrating and offering thanks and
> gratitude...it was lovely!

(Bob's in the Eastern Time Zone.)

> I never felt LESS alone when I was actually
> PHYSICALLY alone!

This is a very interesting and true statement. I have personal experience to back this up also. Gordon and Bob will be able to relate to the story that I'm about to tell.

When I was in the Navy, for the first 5 years of my career, I didn't have to go away for long periods of time. However, I was transferred to a missile cruiser after having been married for about a year. (I had been in the Navy for about 6 years at that time.) For those of you who don't know, missile cruisers are *gone* from their homeport *at least* as much as they're in port. Anyway, I was transferred to a missile cruiser that was coming out drydock. One of the first cruises we made, (after a shakedown trip to the garden spot of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - not my first trip there either), was a cruise we made to the Caribbean. Now that might sound luxurious to some of you. However, you don't get much time to loll on the beach in the sunshine. Most of the time is spent on a missile range practicing. Well, the worst part of that trip was the fact that this particular trip was to be over Mother's Day. (Remember, I had only been married about a year.)

Well, during the evening of Mother's Day, I was feeling particularly low due to the physical and emotional separation from my family. So I decided to go outside to see if I could look at the stars and possibly get to feeling a little better. BTW, the stars in the Carribean sky are *absolutely* phenomenal when you're out at sea. No light pollution, etc. In any case, while I was sitting leaning against one of the stacks,(the exhaust pipes on a ship), and looking up at the stars, I decided to pray. While I was thus engaged in prayer, after awhile, I began to feel very close both to God and my wife. It was one of the best experiences that I had on that cruise.

So one can definitely draw closer to family and spiritual ties even though one is physically separated from both.

Rick Smith, "The Net Guerrilla"


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