A place of life exploration, sailing journeys, and piece of thought
(from June 26, 2025)
Laughter with family sends fresh breath to weary hearts. To chuckle with the experienced to giggle with the youth, to lose oneself in the uncontrollable, tear-spilling, doubled-over peels of joyful laughter… is there anything so light and freeing?
Might I recommend a game of Codenames? It is a word game that challenges connections and memory, poker face and wit. Good humor brings it all together with laughter over mess-ups and shocking successes.
(writings on July 4, 2025)
It’s the name of a tasty wine we drank with our fancy Fourth of July hot dog meal served with a side of incredibly juicy watermelon. Unshackled… from the chains of British rule when US declared independence in 1776. I am so very grateful for the men and women who sacrificed for the founding of our country.
Unshackled brings with it hope. The chains have been lifted. Freedom waits. Unburdened from the demands from before, set free from a cage. Set free to fly, to explore, to smile and laugh, to work hard for gains, to give with gratitude, and to serve with love. Unshackled from the bondage of sin to choose to serve God and not men.
It is a word that excited me with possibilities. Let us live unshackled, set free. Let freedom ring!
(from June 28, 2025)
“The more places you call home, the less any single place can define you. You start as a visitor, then you adapt, you blend in, you belong. But every time you leave, you take a piece of that place with you. Over time, your identity becomes fluid, shaped by cultures, not borders, no longer bound to one location, no longer the same person who first left. Home is no longer a place. It’s a mindset.” – post on Sailingelburro on Instagram
This is just beautiful to me! As we move around, I have seen this theory in myself and my family. We strive to be visitors for as short a time as possible and to enter a place of belonging for as long as possible. I’m honestly not sure I can say we ever blend in (haha!), but each place has changed us and become special to us. We bring tangible pieces with us in the forms of souvenirs, stories or people and events, and hearts that are bigger. Identities not defined by boundaries.
On the left is Annapolis, on the right is Hawaii. Across the Pacific Ocean and an entire continent. Different sailing cultures. Consistent love of the water and boats. God’s creation is beautiful.
“He must have taken the view that if you stood still in the fast-changing modern world, you would take root, stagnate, and die inside.” Author David Rooney in his book The Big Hop wrote these words to describe Harry Hawker, a young man who attempted to be one of the first to fly across the Atlantic.
I asked my son a question: Would you describe me as a person who would rather spend all day relaxing watching TV and reading a book or running errands and getting things done? He chose the second option. When asked why, he replied, “Because you are a busy-body.” Haha! I clarified what a busy-body is (a meddling or prying person), and asked if that describes me. “No,” he laughed. “What I meant was that you like to be doing things, to be active. You always seem on the move.”
This is true for me at this point of my life, but I have not always been that way. Life has moved in phases for me. As a child, I enjoyed a quiet, studious phase, playing games with close neighbors, baking cookies, reading books. Then came a busier but still rather home-minded high school phase, enjoying high school activities on campus and football games on the weekends but also soaking up the downtime at home when I studied or relaxed. College became the social but studious phase, filled with many library study hours, swing lessons, Bible studies, adventures with friends, hangouts and study groups. Young professional life was mostly a social phase while also growing on the job. Marriage life brought a dynamic social phase as I learned how to live alongside someone and experience new dynamics in groups. Babies and children became a quieter phase once again, as my energy frequently felt too spent to invest in a lot of social activities. Interestingly, as the children have grown older now, it seems there is another resurgence of studious social phase but with family wrapped in this time as well. Writing this down, the picture created in my mind is a an undulating ocean wave, like the ones in the middle of the ocean that you can see when you fly between the Hawaiin Islands in the Pacific. There are constant crests and troughs but no crashing on the shore.
This passion to remain in constant motion through learning, meeting people, muscle strengthening, can be challenging to fulfill. I envy, at times, people who function at a slower pace because it is easier for them to be satiated. A perpetual yearning to grow is difficult to provide for when we move so often partly because this desire is paired integrally with the urge to be part of people.
However the pattern of movement rolls, the call to remain in motion is strong. Let us continue in motion, fast or relaxed, engaged in this life with which we have been blessed.
Sometimes difficult breakdowns lead to the most surprising breakthroughs.
It was a July fourth no one expected. Happy campers, sleeping towns. The flood waters came as a surprise in the night. Lives were cut short, beautiful lives beginning to blossom. Experienced lives were ended. The shock, the sorrow, the waiting, the grief, the loss, the utter devastation. My heart aches with my fellow Texans. I am so sorry for your loss.
I wish I could give you a hug, make you a meal, cry with you, help clean up with you. For now, I send you this picture of a Japanese cherry blossom, a symbol of hope and peace. I pray for your families every day and for your communities, for people visiting the area from out of state as well. I know there was at least one little girl at Camp Mystic who was from a different state. I know there are people throughout our country and all over the world who mourn with you.
The state flower of Texas is the bluebonnet, a stately, hearty lupine. Many families in Texas take their yearly photos in the midst of blue swept fields. I did not realize until recently that the bluebonnet stands for bravery and admiration and symbolizes sacrifice, according to some websites. It is a flower that can grow in harsh conditions. May this hearty bravery lead you through these difficult days, Texas. You are not alone.
Cherry blossom symbolism: https://symbolismandmetaphor.com/cherry-blossom-meaning-symbolism/
Honest and True
Honest: free of deceit and untruthfulness; sincere
True: in accordance with fact of reality; accurate or exact
How valued are these words today?
Dear Lord,
Open our eyes to see the truth and not live in white lies.
Help us face the faults and flaws that destroy foundations.
Simple lies can be altered with simple, brave truths.
Teach us to criticize our own actions in our heads
and our hearts,
To ponder and chew over what actually happened.
Discipline our minds to see the reality of our mistakes.
Peel back the bark of deadness from our soul,
Death that would eat away health of relationships, of lives.
Enlighten our hearts to grow robust from the inside
And stand tall, like a pine tree,
Expanding upward in and toward Truth.
Amene
“Oh say can you see, by the dawn’s early light…” These words were penned by Francis Scott Key at the end of a battle during the War of 1812 as he gazed toward Fort McHenry near Baltimore. White stars on a blue background, red and white stripes. A little less than one year ago, my family and I stood on that very fort gazing out on the Potapsco River where the ship was anchored from which Francis Scott Key scratched out the first verse of our well-known national anthem. The first newspaper to publish his poem was the Baltimore Patriot and Evening Advertiser. Click this link below to see a fascimile of the first newspaper printing: https://www.loc.gov/resource/music.musihas-100010479/?st=image&r=-4.49,1.384,9.979,5.312,0
Fort McHenry is part of the national park service and well worth visiting. Make sure to watch the video in the museum and remain seated for a spectactular, stirring finish! The tour guides are very informative as well. https://www.nps.gov/fomc/index.htm
What great value are those who take to the pen and record, in verse or prose, events of history. Key composed words that inspire patriotism to this day and remind us of the hard-fought battles to build and defend this great nation. Happy Independence Day, America!
I never really liked the song “Everything Is Awesome”. I guess I am just too much of a realist. With the bumps and challenges in life, how can one say “everything is awesome” all the time? This doesn’t mean I live with a negative view of life. I am thankful when things go well, but I also expect them not to go well at times. Often it’s when life takes a turn that I don’t like that I grow best and learn most. I am ever grateful that I am not the one in control of my life and that the One who is knows exactly what He is doing, even when I may be disgruntled about a turn in the road I had planned.
So when I found myself watching The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, I loved when the song was changed to “Everything’s Not Awesome”!
"Everything's not awesome
But that doesn't mean that it's hopeless and bleak
Everything's not awesome
But in my heart, I believe (I believe)
We can make things better if we stick together...
Side by side, you and I, we will build it together...
Build it together...
All together now...
Everything's not awesome
Things can't be awesome all of the time
It's an unrealistic expectation
But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try
To make everything awesome
In a less idealistic kind of way
We should maybe aim for not bad
'Cause not bad, well that would be real great..."
As a striver for better, I personally believe we should always aim to do our best. But the perfectionist in me is tempered by what I have come to understand as human limitations. One, we cannot achieve perfection: nothing will be truly “awesome” on this earth. And that’s okay. This is earth, not heaven. Two: we only have a finite amount of time to commit to any one activity. People and priorities pull us away from closing in on perfection… and that’s okay too.
Where the lyrics of this song really ring true to me is in relationships. Close relationships are tricky because of expectations. Misunderstandings are bound to happen, over and over again. Everything will not feel awesome all of the time. We should try to improve and grow our communication and consideration of each other, increasing connection. We can “stick together, side by side… [and] build it together.” Sometimes, just like the song says, aiming for “not bad” could be “real great”.
That said, I am compelled to close with an exhortation to pursue a life of growth and learning, together with others. In so doing we will move beyond “not bad” and toward amazing.
It was a hot day outside and the beginning of a holiday weekend. Our family needed desperately to get out of our small lodging. Other than going to the pool, what could we do that kept us cool? My husband and I decided to treat our children to a movie theater experience of the live-action “How to Train Your Dragon”. Our children have not seen many movies in theater. As a matter of fact, it was the first movie a couple of them had ever seen in theater. We bought the enormous bucket of popcorn and a large drink. The taste of salty theater popcorn just seems to go with the whole movie experience. We snuck into the darkened room a few minutes after the movie began, bowing to try to avoid bothering other viewers.
Settled into our seats, the munching began. Handful after handful shoveled into their mouths, especially the youngest. Since his eyes were glued open to absorb the vibrant action, I had to remind him several times to remember to blink. Mesmerized! As much as I enjoyed the movie (which I do highly recommend), my attention returned to this youth engrossed in the world of the movies. Never before had he seen such a large screen. He seemed transported to a different world, to the landscape of Iceland where the movie was filmed, a land full of dragons and risks and adventure, a story with struggle and triumph. In a serious scene, I watched as my son shared the emotions of the characters. His eyes became glassy, his bottom lip trembled, his heart pain was visible on his face. This boy, so full of passion and temper, felt the pain of others. When the situation resolved happily, I saw a visible wave of relief and joy wash over his countenance.
I have learned not everyone has these connections with movies. What is it about someone that allows for such an intense connection with the story on the screen? To feel the emotions as if one were actually a part of the story itself? It is fascinating to watch my children watching the world.
Leader
Will you lead through the fire?
What when the fire dies?
Who are you leading and do you know your why?
Do you promote yourself above others?
Or do you look and see others, weaving talents together to yield a cloth of multiplied strength?
Deceptive is the idea that the best leader is one most skilled in his craft (be it flying a plane, designing technology, etc).
Perhaps leading others is a skill in itself.
Look just below the highest performing worker… for the one who watches, observes, encourages, challenges the team to grow.
Can an intrinsically skilled leader of people lead in multiple contexts, regardless of his/her specific job training?
Leader, lead people and know why you lead.
Life is Sailing 