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Sail on, my Captain

Sixteen years ago I wrote the following lighthearted poem in honor of my husband Roger and two friends, Roger and Mike, who raced our sailboat in the 1998 National Catalina Race held in Westbrook, Connecticut.  They took first for the tall rig division in all three races.  Yes, readers, the sailboat’s name was Sloopy, the inspiration for the fictional 36 foot sloop that Liz and Garret live aboard in Murder in Mystic, Murder in Newport and Two Headed Snake of Key West.  Our Sloopy was fast and my husband could make a mighty Margarita.

I am sharing this with you in memory of my husband, who passed away on July 1, 2014.  Sail on, my captain.

 

The pressure was on

To win a glass cup

Each silently prayed

He wouldn’t screw up

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The guy thing, you know

Machismo, at best

The challenge would come

They’d be put to the test

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The good Lord was laughing

As they hoisted the main.

These three would need blessings,

And more, it was plain

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Wine made from water

Was easy for sure,

But Roger, Mike, Roger

Three races endure?

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The task was immense

But these were nice guys

He raised His arms up

And Sloopy did rise.

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She raced to the finish

Three bullets to boot

Miracles do happen.

There’s proof in the loot.

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The lesson each learned,

To celebrate life

Believe in oneself

Be good to your wife.

Chasing the Dream When Reality Bites

Our spirit longs deep within to reach out for today’s desire, the one condition that would bring happiness.  The plan is to reach the goal by following the shortest distance between two points, a straight line.  The course is set and the starting pistol fires.

When I was a child growing up in the 1950’s, a pre-electronic era when dinosaurs roamed the earth, or so it seems to my grandchildren, I played many board and card games.  One that comes to mind is Mille Bornes, a French card game that is still being produced.  The object of the game was to win a 700 mile road race.  There were hazards, i.e. accident, out of gas and flat tire, that would delay the journey until a remedy card was found.  I still remember my frustration to have one of these obstacles slow my progress.

Life is filled with blockades and the unexpected.  As in the game of Mille Bornes,  the race to the elusive goal has many detours.  It is difficult to keep an eye on the prize when crisis and turmoil swirl at every turn.  The tremors of despair shake our once firm foundations.

But there are pleasant surprises along the way as the petals of our personal blossom unfold.  The key is to achieve balance.  Find ways to feed your soul today.  Do the simple things that bring joy.  My husband loves to cook.  My heart sings when I watch him put together a meal.  It was only 3 short years ago when he was in the hospital being blasted by two forms of chemotherapy and on a lactose free liquid diet for 19 days as he battled leukemia.  Today, after a bone marrow transplant, his zest for life is contagious.

Dreams are the seeds of creation.  As we journey through life,  we learn, grow, edit and take side trips.  There are great gifts along the way if we are open to accept them.   Keep the faith, shore up the foundations and keep moving forward.  Life is ours to color.  Today is a clean piece of paper.  Color it any way that you want.