Exactly one month ago at this time, I was on a cruise ship in the Caribbean with seven family members. We had just left from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that morning and were filled with excitement. This was my very first cruise and I had no idea what to expect. The ship was larger than I ever imagined possible and the views were stunning.
Our first two days of the trip were spent at sea and were filled with many onboard activities. What was our favorite activity? Eating. We made many trips to the different dining options and loaded up on everything you can imagine. From escargot to seafood spaghetti and eggplant parmesan to lasagna, we devoured more food than what seemed humanly possible. Our late night favorite was frozen yogurt and we gobbled up rice pudding to no end. All I can say is yum! The morning of the third day we woke up with a view of the beautiful island of St. Marteen. I instantly felt awakened and excitement filled me. Our shore excursion for the day included a sailboat tour on which we made a swimming stop. At first I was just simply excited for it, but little did I know that on our swimming stop, things would change. An avid swimmer myself, I was eager to jump off the boat and in to the crystal clear waters. Suit on and a smile on my face, I climbed over the rail and jumped. My heart sunk and I felt strange, but quickly an overwhelming sense of peace came upon me. I hit the water and immediately could taste its saltiness. I smiled and wanted to jump again. For the first time in months, I felt completely at peace and joy radiated from me. I simply have no explanation for what I felt that day, except that it must be a God thing. The weeks leading up to the trip were very hard for me. It seemed like everything in the universe was working against me. I had written my blog post titled, “What You Don’t See,” and was working hard to be better. Going away was exactly what I needed. I’m a firm believer in the verse, Jeremiah 29:11. It states, “’For I know the plans I have for you says’ the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I truly believe that all of this was all a part of his miraculous plan for my life. Without the pain and sorrow felt before the trip, I never would have been able to experience the fullness of his wonderful grace. As I readied myself to jump off, I never expected what was to come. We made two more stops on this trip before returning back to Fort Lauderdale. One stop was in Puerto Rico where we took a tour of beautiful San Juan. From the colorful buildings to the stunning fort and having my picture taken with parrots, I couldn’t have been happier. It was an adorable city. Labadee, Haiti, was our final stop. There we kayaked through the beautiful waters. Well, most of us kayaked. My uncle and I ended up having to be towed across the water by the rescue boat along with another couple. Instead of going straight, we ended up going in circles the whole time. Regardless of how we made it across, it was still a blast and a memory I will never forget. The afternoon was spent zip lining on the longest zip line in the Caribbean and swimming in the water. Without my fabulous family, especially my aunt and uncle, this trip would not have been possible. For them I am forever grateful. Since I’ve been back, I’ve been smiling and laughing more than I once thought possible. I still have a long road ahead of me in my recovery, but I’m doing better. I’ve been planning more adventures and am excited for things to come. What I thought was just going to be a fun-filled family vacation, turned into something much more. It turned into a trip of healing for me. The day I jumped off the sailboat, I jumped into joy and I don’t plan on letting that feeling go anytime soon.
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AuthorHello everyone, I'm Bri! Here you can find me writing about life in order to help provide you with encouragement and hope. Want to find out more about me? Go visit my "About Me" page! Happy reading! Archives
April 2017
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