Gratitude Monday: getting around

As I mentioned Friday, I had Thanksgiving dinner with friends I hadn’t seen since 1994. They’ve been taking a lot of cruises since I knew them, and I asked how that started up, because they weren’t big travelers back then. (Of course, their children have grown to adulthood in the past 25 years, and they retired almost two years ago. But this was still a notable change.)

Well, it seems that they started with Tae Kwon Do lessons, bought at a silent auction for two of their kids. Robert and Marlene then started taking lessons, too, and they all ended up with black belts. But they also took a trip to Seoul (as you do), and that was the first chink in the wall. Then they took dancing lessons, and the dance studio organizes trips, many of which are on cruises…

So my friends have cruised multiple times to the Caribbean (including to Havana), the Med, Italy in particular, and one mega-cruise, from Barcelona (I think) to Singapore. Their next cruise is trans-Atlantic, to Ireland, England, France and the Netherlands.

Now, I am in no way attracted to getting on a boat and leaving shore for any reason other than that a volcano is erupting and the city is about to be engulfed by pyroclastic cloud or lava. But, you know, just going through Suez would be extra primo good.

It was absolutely magical and inspiring to listen to their tales of exploration. I’m super grateful for reconnecting with Robert and Marlene, and in their honor today, we’re having “I Saw Three Ships” for our Advent piece.

This English carol dates back to at least the 17^th Century. No one really knows what’s up with the ships—the nearest body of water to Bethlehem is 20 miles away, and it’s the Dead Sea. But carol writers aren’t geographers, so we might need to go metaphorical on this one. Three, of course, is significant; the Trinity, the Magi. Maybe the ships are the camels—ships of the desert—that brought the wise men. Or perhaps they’re the coffers that held the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Whatever.

It’s best not to overanalyze these things.

I’ve always thought of “I Saw Three Ships” as being something you put the kids to singing so they’ll stay out of your hair. I mean, the lyrics aren’t deep metaphysical explorations of the Christ story. Most of the lines get repeated, and you could keep the young ‘uns going for hours just by popping in a new first line and having them respond, “On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day” till the cows come home. “Where is Waldo hiding now?” Or “Howdy Doody wet his pants.” Or “Mommy needs a cocktail, kids.” It works.

Okay, enough frivolity.

Haha, just kidding. Here’s Sting, at Durham Cathedral, giving us “I Saw Three Ships”.

Cruise on, Robert and Marlene. Cruise on.