And so it ends.
I began planning for Semester at Sea in January of 2014. For an entire year I researched, read, studied, compared, reserved, and planned for our trip. I watched documentaries about the Vietnam war. I read stories of survival during the days of the Khmer Rouge. I read part of Nelson Mandela's The Long Walk. I bought Pepto Bismol, headlamps, ear plugs, water bottles, shampoo, peanut butter, antibiotics, sunscreen, and way too much chapstick for some reason. But most of all, I dreamed.
I dreamed of what it would be like to visit the dark
ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I
dreamed of finally setting foot in India, a place I had always longed to visit. I dreamed of facing a
great white shark in icy waters. I dreamed of pho soup in Vietnam, temples in Myanmar, and red sand dunes in Namibia. I dreamed of life on a ship -- high waves,
sunsets, seasickness, and weeks without any land in sight. I dreamed for an entire year before I ever even packed my bags to go.
Traveling on a ship with 900 people is crazy fun.... particularly when you're an extrovert. The first day I came on board, I was on page 12 of a new book. A few days later, Sydney asked what page I was on. I said,"I think I'm on page 8." She said,"You're going backward?!" I never read another page.
Kerry asked me one day, "Do you even remember how to read?" He mocked what he did not understand. You see, when you're an extrovert whose normal days consist of homeschooling 3 children, and you have a chance to be with 900 adults every single day from morning until night, this is no time to read!
As my friend said, "I didn't forget that we saw the world, but we saw it together. And that's what made it so special."
And now Semester at Sea is in the rear view mirror.
As I was opining about the end of this dream, something
important occurred to me. Our whole family went on this trip, and we all came
home. It could have been different. With a few short-lived exceptions,
we were all healthy and able to participate in all aspects of the trip. We had
nothing lost or stolen. The one bag the kids forgot (in a car rental place in
Cape Town) contained only bathing suits, a $4 beach towel, and a couple of
t-shirts. Indeed, it could have been very different.
And while some might call it good luck or say the
universe was smiling on us, I believe there was something else in play. God.
He was with us every step of the way. He sent us out, guided us, protected us, led
us, and brought us home.
One of the last nights on board, when the ship was plowing
through the waters off the coast of Spain, I couldn't sleep. I was trying to figure out how one goes back
to grocery shopping and doing dishes after sailing around the world. And I was scared. Scared of my dream being in the rear view
mirror.
Then God spoke to me. Not in an audible voice, though I wouldn't put it past him. God reminded me that the same One who guided my steps all the way around the world, isn't going anywhere. He's going to keep guiding me at home, in my neighborhood, and maybe (hopefully) to some far flung place again one day. God will still be my constant horizon even when I'm on land. And with that important thought, I was finally able to fall asleep.
Then God spoke to me. Not in an audible voice, though I wouldn't put it past him. God reminded me that the same One who guided my steps all the way around the world, isn't going anywhere. He's going to keep guiding me at home, in my neighborhood, and maybe (hopefully) to some far flung place again one day. God will still be my constant horizon even when I'm on land. And with that important thought, I was finally able to fall asleep.

When I saw it I immediately thought of the description of
heaven and the throne of God. Revelation
4 says: "There before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on
it. And the one who sat there had the
appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow
that shone like an emerald encircled the throne." And to further complete
the picture, it says, "In front of the throne there was what looked like a
sea of glass, clear as crystal." I'm telling you, that rainbow almost
brought me to tears. It felt like a
glimpse of heaven, a foretaste of another circular rainbow by a crystal
sea.
Yes, God will be with me every step
of the way. And with him, the end of one adventure just means the beginning of the next one.
P.S. I want to say a special thank you to those of you who
followed our journey these past four months.
By reading our blog and looking at our pictures, by commenting and letting
us know you knew where we were, you gave us a great gift. We knew you cared. Even in the middle of the sea, we felt connected to you. Thank you for remembering us.