*I hope this post doesn’t make me
sound like an emotional basket-case, but I am in tears as I write it
so maybe I am.*
Let’s be honest: Last contract, at
least the first four months, was not great for me. I won’t go into
all the gory details, but there was more than one occasion when I
called my parents or best friend in tears, wanting them to tell me it
was okay to quit and come home (fortunately my parents are amazing
and, after listening to me cry, always gave me a loving yet firm “put
on a smile, fake it ‘til you make it, and tough this contract out”
lecture). I like to call it my “growing contract.”
I believe firmly that the Lord never
leaves us alone in tough situations. He is always near to comfort and
strengthen, but he often places someone near us to hold us up, give
perspective, or simply give a hug when needed. On the Rotterdam, that
person was my roommate Simone. Mo once came into the room to find me
sobbing on the floor and she took an hour out of her day to pull me
(literally) up off the floor, hold me in her arms, listen to my
dilemma, offer advice, listen to me talk through my options, then
give me a pep talk and send me off to face what I had to do. It was
the next best thing to having my mom (I don’t care how old you are,
sometimes you just want your mom). Later that night she pulled me off
my bed, sent me into the bathroom with a bottle of Visine and an
outfit she had plucked from my closet, then dragged me down to the OB
where she had already alerted our friend Claire to have a soda
waiting. She never breached confidences, but she let a few people
know what had happened so they could be there for me as well. That
day, more than any other, stands out as a day that she was there when
I couldn’t do it alone and I will always love her for it. Mo was
not the only one whom I leaned on during that contract (special
shout-out to Claire, Laura, Karyn, Paul, Glen, Ace, Anna, Andrew, and
James), but as my roommate she was there day or night and I hope I
was also there for her on her bad days.
I don’t want it to sound like every
day was bad, because it wasn’t and we made a lot of fun memories.
There were nights of room service and movies, evenings out in the
Crow’s Nest or MIX with Claire or Glen, trips into port (Maui will
always make me think of Mo and smile –I think it’s the only port
where we went out together every time), thousands of jokes that no
one else would find funny, and countless hours spent laughing until
tears streamed down our faces. The combination of good and bad times
helped us to form a unique bond. We were incredibly close and enjoyed
spending time together, but neither of us was hurt when the other
made plans with someone else. We were also brutally honest with each
other, but it was always constructive and never offense. Even though
we live an ocean apart, I hope we always remain dear friends.
Because I would visit Southampton on
the Voyage of the Vikings, Mo planned to drive down from London to
spend the day with me. A few weeks before my visit she was offered a
last minute contract on the Eurodam. I was disappointed, so I was
thrilled to receive an email from my Hotel Director informing the
crew that we would be docked next to the Eurodam in Quebec City. I
sent Mo an email and made plans to meet for lunch.
It was so great to see her. We ended up going to lunch with four guys we were friends with on the Rott who are all now on the Maasdam with me. We ate pizza while enjoying the gorgeous day and each others' company. It had been almost six months since any of us had seen Simone, but it felt like we had never left. That's one of the amazing things about ship friendships: It's so easy to pick up exactly where you left off.
With our friends Pieter, Jim, and Mac |
Thanks for a great afternoon, Mo! I can't wait until the next time our paths cross!