Pastor’s Blog

While I am making an effort to get out of pajamas and dress for the day, I have to admit that I tend to remain in my house slippers or warm happy socks. When we were cruising we took two sets of shoes, sandals for everyday wear and boots in case we decided to hike in the jungle. Most of the time on the boat we were barefoot. Our dress for the day was usually a tee shirt and swim shorts. Other boats wore less. We had a 14 year old son on board. We didn’t realize how relaxed about…

While we were living at sea, our parents worried about us being overseas, and as my dad put it, "taking their only grandson with us." On the other hand, we heard in the news about violence in the United States. Our parents worried about us being unsafe abroad. We wondered about being safe when we came home. And then 9/11 happened while we were docked in D.C. across from the Pentagon. And nowhere seemed safe. For us, safety comes from being prepared as best we can. It means reducing the risks where possible. It means knowing the dangers and weighing…

So Erick advised last time, “be honest with others.” We often hear about people stuck all winter in the artic coming down with “cabin fever.” We can become anxious about our own health or sanity while in isolation. These days, if we cough, we wonder, “Is this the virus?” I don’t know about you but every time I hear a description of an illness, I begin to think I have it. We had been sailing for about two or three days, getting little sleep. We were sailing down the coast of Baja California, surfing down twelve foot waves. Erick, our…

From Erick Lundin (Pastoral Support) My wife asked me to write down some advice about being cooped up in isolation. My first thought is “Don’t hold grudges.” Secondly, “Be honest with others.” When we lived on a 40 ft sailboat, we were anchored in the middle of a river in Panama. My son and I were down below having a very heated argument. My son broke off and went up on deck while I stayed down below still feeling the emotions. Suddenly, I hear, “DAD! It’s a crock!” Geez, teenagers just know how to punch your buttons. I responded as…

For ten years my husband and I lived on a boat that was 40 feet long and 12 feet wide with our teenage son. We were at sea for weeks at a time, which meant that we were more isolated than we are now. We did not have phone or computer or amazon prime. We had each other. We also could not get away from each other. Living with one another meant respecting each other’s privacy. We discovered that privacy is more an attitude than it is a separation by space or walls. We chose to either ignore or learn…

As we weighed the dogs this morning, Erick said to me, Fay, since you are home more often, you are going to have stop giving the dogs treats. They are gaining way too much weight. And then, I weighed myself. Yes, I need to stop giving myself extra treats too. Too much coffee and chocolate wire me up. Then I sit at the computer . I become frustrated –because I am not a computer person- and then I get up and find myself in front of the refrigerator. Add to that I listen to too much news, which feeds my…