Every time I think of you I thank God for you.

I have joy in my heart every time I ask God to help you.

I thank God for the joy we share in telling the good news from the very first day until now.

Philippians 1:3-5

Okay, I know I will get to say this again in a couple of days, but, “This is the southest I have ever been.” I know, not a real word, but maybe one day it will be and etymologists will uncover the first documented citation in this post!

Welcome to Aruba. Not that picturesque from where we’re sitting, but we may stretch our legs later in the day and look around.

As you may have gleaned from my recent posts, this is not our usual full-contact cultural learning experience so much as “Adventures in Relaxing.”

So now, four days into the 12-day cruise, we are settling into the rhythm and playing the long game.

Food, of course, is a celebrated aspect of life on board, and – so far – we are more than satisfied. It is so good that this morning we both realized we need to exercise a little caution going forward.

Every dining experience is wonderful, but Wednesday evening we enjoyed the first of three “elevated” diners at the onboard Italian restaurant. “Canaletto Grill” did not disappoint.

Fine dining as the sun set, followed by the evening show, then another walk around the deck, taking in the stars, taking in the tropical breeze… taking in each other.

So that’s it for this morning’s “Cruise Journal” entry. We are blessed, we are relaxed, we are content.

At the same time, however, we do not take this privilege lightly, we are aware of the world stage and the ongoing tragedies of Ukraine, and Gaza, and mass shootings, and US politics.

We remain in prayer and in gratitude- DEREK