Saturday, February 16, 2013

Dead in the Water

Whether on land or on sea, Lady Traveler can relate to my earlier story of "dead in the water"
Dead in the water

Dead in the water several times, but SURVIVED!



Most people have never heard the term dead in the water*
much less experienced its trauma.
  I have.
After following the Carnival Triumph's 5-day odyssey of 
being dead in the water
my own personal dead in the water experience 
took me back to 1994.   
I was not on a luxury cruise ship.
I on board the WWII ship MS Restoration.  
She was an old, rusty ship that had a bold call upon her:
a mission to rescue Russian Jews from Sochi, Russia 
to Haifa, Israel.
And sailing the seven seas with her was 
a crew who had heeded her mission.


Like the passengers on the Carnival Triumph, 
I had no idea what I was getting into.  
I knew that the Restoration had no air conditioning, 
no stabilizers, no pool, no luxuries, and that was okay.  
But dead in the water?  
I had never heard the term before ... until I woke up suddenly, tossing and turning in the middle of the night, 
feeling as if into the deep, dark Pacific Ocean at any moment.

  
   "What's happening?" I asked Rob, as I sat up in our bunk, paralyzed with fear.
   He immediately tried to console me. 
"Don't worry, hon, the ship went dead in the water* 
... something to do with the engine."
   "Does that mean we're going to be dead too?" I asked
as he scurried out of our cabin and headed for the engine room.


Well, you'll have to read Lady and the Sea 
to hear the outcome of that dreadful night.  
We experienced several more dead in the water moments, 
and I thank God that I lived to tell about them.  
Those moments are scary.  
They throw you off guard.  
You wonder what the outcome will be.  
And you pray.



Have you ever had a dead in the water moment in your life 
that left you scared, thrown off guard, 
and wondering if you'll make it through?  



When those dead in the water moments come, 
rest assured that you are in God's care.  
I wasn't a swimmer back in those days, 
so I had my life jacket close at hand 
throughout our 14-month journey on the Restoration.  
I also had the Captain of my soul, Jesus, close at hand.  
I still do.



I wish you smooth sailing and 
oceans of blessings wherever your journey takes you. 


Go in peace. The presence of the Lord be with you on your way.
Judges 18:6

*when a ship is crippled; stalled; immobile.

Watch 60-second Youtube video of actual footage of the MS Restoration:


www.sharonleaf.com

3 comments:

chateau chic said...

I enjoyed your post. Can't wait to get my hands on a copy of your book.
Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by for a visit to my blog and for your lovely comments! It's always encouraging to know that there are people out there reading my blog.
Mary Alice

Jennifer Richardson said...

I LOVE what you've done with your blog, lady life!
The new header and the bites of story are enticing!
wonderful, wonderful:)
-Jennifer

Sharon Leaf said...

Ladies, thank you for stopping by my blog. Like you, CC (Chateau Chic), it's nice to know there's someone out there dropping by! And Jennifer, we'll always be faithful bloggy friends! Oceans of blessings for today's journey!

On life's journey, whether traveling around the world or walking around your block, there's lots to learn about life, faith, friendship and fun! so lets dive into a new ocean together ... and lets keep that body movin'!