SAND AND SOLITUDE: A CAYMAN RETREAT (November 11 - 24, 2017)

After a brief two day trip to Indiana we, once again, flew standby without a problem.  As we stepped off the Delta jet in Georgetown, Grand Cayman, we felt the moist ocean air and the heat of the tropical sun.  For two weeks, cold weather would be left behind, and we would again enjoy the warmth of the tropics and the the warmth of people we have grown to love.

We have been traveling to the Cayman Islands for the last 23 years now, yet every time it seems like we see, or experience, something new.  This time it was a couple of new restaurants and sightings of starfish, Iguana, and Boobies (birds).  Now, it's back to Indiana for a week and then off to Tennessee for the month of December.  We are refreshed and spoiled.  Trust your Thanksgiving will remind you how blessed we all are, and how thankful we should be for all we have.










REFLECTIONS   

  In her book, "By the Seashore of Cayman", Jackie Bodden pens these words:

"Hammocks tied beneath fruit trees
Move at a gentle pace
Little children swinging in them 
Have a smile upon each face
High up in the banana trees
Birds sing their merry songs
How could this Island Time Forgot not be viewed by heavenly throngs?

The sparkling Caribbean, beaches beyond compare,
Coconut trees that sway in the breeze,
Familiar faces everywhere.
Heaven wouldn't seem like Heaven
If Cayman isn't there."

Sherry and I have traveled to many different wonderful places, each with its own beauty and value, but Cayman continues to hold a special place in our hearts.  We have been coming to this beautiful isle for twenty three years now and each time it seems like we're coming home.  Indeed, there are familiar faces, and familiar places that we always want to see.  The sound of the sea breezes blowing through the Coconut Palms outside our condo while the sun dances on the gentle Caribbean waves is as good as it gets.  But as good as it is, and as much as we love it, we know that it will in no way be as perfect as Heaven.  And while our time in Cayman always comes to an end, not so in Heavenly realms.  Heaven will be Heaven without Cayman but, until then, Cayman provides just a touch of Heaven for those who visit, and those who call it home.