“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Psalm 139

Note: I am writing this early Tuesday morning, watching the sun rise off the port bow (that’s the left, for you landlubbers) as we head just a little west of due south, making our way to Aruba.

“So why are you on this cruise?” The recently retired Canadian couple I was talking with asked. It was Monday afternoon. We were floating around in the small pool at the back of the boat (that’s “stern” to people in the know).

“We decided we needed to be very intentional about doing lots of nothing for a couple of weeks,” I said.

And so we did just that, all day: sleeping in, coffee on our veranda, then making our way to the dining room for a late breakfast before playing a leisurely game of shuffleboard on the shady side of the ship all the way until lunchtime.

In the afternoon we switched things up, reading by the pool for hours, doing a little photography, then dressing up for an early dinner before attending two shows in the evening.

Our regimen seems to be working. A day and a half in and we’re getting pretty mellow. Today we may just watch other people play shuffleboard instead!

In the evening we snagged probably the best table in the restaurant for an unforgettable sunset dinner.

Everything seems to be working together to pull off a veritable riot of relaxation!

Search us, Lord God, and all our anxious thoughts… then please dismiss them via your great mercy and your generous grace – DEREK