WASTIN' TIME IN MEXICO (November 23 - December 13, 2019)

Aside from being a little rushed at the Nashville, Tennessee airport (our Uber driver missed the turn for the airport), our travel went as planned with no problems.  We left a rainy and cool Tennessee and landed in a humid and hot Cozumel, Mexico.  During our stay the temperature high remained in the mid 80s.

El Cid La Ceiba (Wyndham) would be our home for the next three weeks.  Our one bedroom condo was on the 3rd floor overlooking the Caribbean and the Cruise Port for the island.  It would be a great place to relax and be strengthened after all the activity surrounding the death of Sherry's mom.

We have decided that these times, at resorts, will not be rushed or filled with "do this/ do that" things.  They are to be life lived in different places.  We both had bronchial issues and it was good to be able to hang around the resort, watch the Cruise Ships come in, get some sun in the sand, and enjoy the feel of Mexico.

We did spend one day visiting Punta Sur Eco Park.  This remote area is filled with beautiful vistas, crocodiles, lagoons, beaches, and a wonderful lighthouse.

Next stop: Daytona Beach, Florida (3 weeks)

REFLECTION

 I sat in the ocean side eatery at the resort, enjoying my buffet breakfast ($12 US/$220 Pesos) and watching Cruise Ships as they docked in the port next door.  Some days there were as many as six of the large crafts coming and going.

I felt a little like Otis Reading when he sang;

"Sittin' in the morning sun I'll be sittin' when the evenin' come.
I'll be watchin' the ships roll in and then I'll watch 'em roll away again
......I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay wastin' time."

On my morning walks, I shared the sidewalk with cruise passengers rushing here and there trying to get to a tour or to find that special souvenir in the booths that lined the pavement.  I watched them as they streamed off the ship in the morning and as they dutifully made their way back in the late afternoon.  Hurry off....hurry on.

For some, life is like a cruise.  It's hurry up and keep busy.  Don't miss anything, make sure you get all you have paid for (food, food, and more food), and finish with memories for a lifetime.

For others, life is like a three week resort stay.  Take some down time, make sure you enjoy the moments, and finish with memories for a lifetime.

Cruisers or stayers, find your place and enjoy the journey.  Don't worry about "wastin' time".

FINISHING THE JOURNEY SAFELY (November 6-22, 2019)

We left Indiana and winged our way south to Orlando, where we were picked up at the airport and spent the night with Denny and Jane Krumlauf.  Denny and I grew up together in Port Huron, Michigan.  I became a pastor and he became an army chaplain.  It was good to reconnect for a couple of days.  They dropped us off at Wyndham Star Island in Kissimmee and we spent three days enjoying the sunshine and warmth.  We moved just a little further south to Reunion, Florida and the Wyndham Reunion Resort.  We were joined there by Sherry's brother, Curt, and his wife, Jenny.  Our plans were to spend some time together in Florida before heading to Wyndham Plantation Resort in Georgia and to Wyndham Nashville in Tennessee.

Once again, though, plans changed with a phone call. 

Sherry's 90 year old mom became seriously ill in the nursing home and the staff said she could pass from this life to the next within a day or two.  We packed the car and headed toward Indiana.  The trip north proved to be a long one as an early winter storm, with ice and snow, left its mark on Kentucky and southern Indiana.  We slowly slid our way through the night into the driveway of Curt's home just outside of Bloomington.

Lois, my wife's mother, quietly passed on two days later and her Celebration of Life Service was held.  She was a wonderful example of a Christian lady.  Her faith in Christ never wavered.  She will be missed but the memories of a life well lived will continue.

We flew out of a cold and snowy Indiana the next week and spent six days at Wyndham Nashville (TN) before heading to Cozumel, Mexico.

REFLECTION

Life is a progression of changes.  Things seldom go exactly as planned.  Our lives are lived out with daily uncertainties.  Things change.

Our expected time of relaxation with Curt and Jenny turned into a hazardous 1,000 mile drive through a cold and snowy night.  It sure felt good when we rolled into the driveway and were safe.

For Lois, her journey had its moments of struggle and change; moments of happiness and fear.  But, now, she has finished her life's drive, rolled into Heaven's driveway, and is safe.