Dearest Rachel – I’m not sure if you were ever acquainted with the phrase ‘love bombing’; it’s a term I’ve encountered more and more as time goes on, and our time together gets further away, ironically enough. I’m not sure if it’s one of the latest buzzwords in pop psychology, or if it’s just somethingContinue reading “Seeking Shelter”
Monthly Archives: September 2025
Nightmare Created, Nightmare Hobbled
Dearest Rachel – Remind me not to do that again, honey. Queuing up a blank screen video of soothing music to fall asleep to is one thing, but ambient noise definitely has its issues. Not only is one dealing with too much light to properly sleep in (even a ‘black’ screen is emitting some light,Continue reading “Nightmare Created, Nightmare Hobbled”
from Rachel: A Man Dressed in Linen
I can’t wait. So without delay, please read Daniel 10:4-12 very carefully. How is Daniel’s riverbank encounter described in verses 4-6? “It sounds like a man too painfully bright to look at and painfully loud to listen to.” Who saw the vision? “Daniel only, not those with him” The original Hebrew is extremely emphatic: “IContinue reading “from Rachel: A Man Dressed in Linen”
No Particular Point to the Moment
Dearest Rachel – If I’m to be honest with you – as well as myself – about this series of letters to you, that they’re as much a record of life happening in the days after your absence as anything else, I should be telling you about the events of the past evening. For someContinue reading “No Particular Point to the Moment”
To See Where I Stand
Dearest Rachel – Well, honey, despite my best efforts to take advantage of as much of the darkness as possible – especially since I wasn’t going to be heading into the ‘office’ today – my day this morning started at six, regardless. It was too late for me to realistically put in my full timeContinue reading “To See Where I Stand”
An Audience of One
Dearest Rachel – The other day, I got an email from someone, rather out of the blue, who had either been reading these letters or watching the videos I’ve been attaching to the ones I’ve sent you while I’ve been traveling; it wasn’t entirely clear to me as to which, since they referenced the channelContinue reading “An Audience of One”
An Experience Not Meant to Be Shared
Dearest Rachel – There are too many things that I do that are solitary pursuits these days that I wish were not so, but can’t be helped at this point. Back in the day, we would do these things together (and in certain times and cases, we would drag Daniel along in our wake, butContinue reading “An Experience Not Meant to Be Shared”
Where Your Treasure Is…
Dearest Rachel – So, as we landed in the States a little more than a week ago (and thus were able to receive text messages, being back in-network), one notice I got was from one of our old buddies in the anime fandom community. Doc is the type to keep his eyes open and earContinue reading “Where Your Treasure Is…”
A Conversation Erased
Dearest Rachel – There are certain aspects of my life where I follow in your footsteps, insofar as I can’t – and don’t – get rid of things, even in cases where I know I’m not going to use the things I’m keeping, To be sure, most of the things I hang onto (or maybeContinue reading “A Conversation Erased”
from Rachel: Mourning an Anniversary
Our focus today is on Daniel 10:1-4. Please review these verses and document every reference they make to time. “‘3rd year of Cyrus’ (1); ‘At that time’ (2); ‘mourned for 3 weeks’ (2); ‘3 weeks were over’ (3); ‘the 24th day of the first month’ (4)” Daniel 10:1 tells us ‘a revelation was given toContinue reading “from Rachel: Mourning an Anniversary”
Green Screen Blues
Dearest Rachel – It was a moment that, in its quickly-discovered-to-be triviality, you would likely have found as amusing as I did, even as I was mildly annoyed at the steps I needed to take to remedy the situation (as well as the time away from what some might consider an addiction – not you,Continue reading “Green Screen Blues”
Ready (Already) For the Weekend
Dearest Rachel – I’ve gotten accustomed to the gym I go to these days to the point where I think I could scribble up the playlist I hear as I walk uphill for an hour. Maybe not completely, and certainly not in order, but there are a number of specific songs I’m guaranteed to hearContinue reading “Ready (Already) For the Weekend”
You Never Asked That of Me
Dearest Rachel – The other morning, as I was waking up to the stillness of the empty bedroom (which, after over a week of sharing hotel rooms and a ship’s stateroom with Daniel’s, ought to be a bit of a relief, but there you go), an earworm burrowed itself into my mind. You know theContinue reading “You Never Asked That of Me”
Could Have Been So Much Worse
Dearest Rachel – You might have noticed that I’ve said very little about my weight or exercise regimen over the past couple of weeks, but you probably haven’t been wondering much about its absence. After all, Daniel and I have been cruising, and you know what it’s like. You were with me on enough ofContinue reading “Could Have Been So Much Worse”
Determined to Leave it Behind
Dearest Rachel – It’s the sort of thing that, had it happened to you, you would be distraught about. Daniel acknowledged that he would be distraught – and he brought along a spare on this trip. And maybe I ought to be, considering how far I’d come with it over the past year and aContinue reading “Determined to Leave it Behind”
Less of the Same, More of the Usual
Dearest Rachel – The beauty of a morning flight is that, when you arrive, you still have most of the day to ‘enjoy’ the place you’ve landed in. The… dare I say ugliness?… of that same situation on the return trip means that you’re dropped right back into the responsibilities of home that you neglectedContinue reading “Less of the Same, More of the Usual”
End of the Line
Dearest Rachel – So Sunday saw us off the ship, and on our way into town. Our journey had finally come to an end… sort of. We still had given ourselves a day to knock about the city – and with the ball game I had made a particular point of arranging to see beingContinue reading “End of the Line”
When Those Who’ve Lost Let Go
Dearest Rachel – I promise you, I have a recap story for you from our adventures knocking around Boston, and I will gather to them soon enough (as soon as I’ve put together the videos I shot as we walked from what felt like one end of the city to the other, but really onlyContinue reading “When Those Who’ve Lost Let Go”
Set Out Two Lanterns
Dearest Rachel – We’ve come in to Boston by sea. I found myself waking up at a quarter to five to watch as various harbor lights passed by (I wasn’t wearing my glasses in bed, so I couldn’t tell you anything more specific than that); that’s what comes from collapsing to sleep by nine inContinue reading “Set Out Two Lanterns”
from Rachel: Now Answers / Delayed Actions
If you can relate, offer your own: what request were you fully convinced God had answered affirmatively?“The incidents that come to mind were all followed through fairly quickly. The most recent I can think of being my safety through surgery and the tumor being benign.” ⛤ In my own attempts to distinguish my desires fromContinue reading “from Rachel: Now Answers / Delayed Actions”
Beverage Plan
Dearest Rachel – You might remember that we never concerned ourselves with a drinks package when we went cruising back in the day. It was quite sufficient to stick with lemonade, iced tea and (in Daniel’s case) milk while in the dining room, since we didn’t drink alcohol– and as far as soft drinks go,Continue reading “Beverage Plan”
A Halifax Busy Day
Dearest Rachel – I realize that I should have taken a moment yesterday to wish you a happy thirty-third anniversary before I went on about our day, but as we were anticipating a busy day ashore, so we were rather preoccupied, I’m afraid. At the same time, do anniversaries still tally up when one partnerContinue reading “A Halifax Busy Day”
In the Breton Island Fog
Dearest Rachel – So after a couple of days at sea – hey, at twenty-five knots, it takes a while to get anywhere from Greenland, let alone the North American continent – you might think we would be itching to get off the ship and onto dry land. And that may very well have beenContinue reading “In the Breton Island Fog”
Oh Boy…
Dearest Rachel – I remember being at the hospital while the news was breaking about John Lennon being shot. I wasn’t at the hospital he was being taken to, of course; this was when my grandfather was being taken to be seen about what turned out to be a fatal case of lung cancer (andContinue reading “Oh Boy…”
Not Such an Anticlimax as All That
Dearest Rachel – I’m sure we’d seen the aurora borealis once or twice since the time we did on the night I proposed to you (and you took it as the heavens themselves blessing the moment, as I recall), but you’d think I’d be able to remember and point to the night, especially since it’sContinue reading “Not Such an Anticlimax as All That”
Appreciating the Staggered Schedule
Dearest Rachel – This has been an unusual trip, and I have to say that I kind of like it. I know that you always wanted to go on a transoceanic sailing in order to actually feel the ocean beneath your feet – the relatively self-contained bodies of water like the Mediterranean and the CaribbeanContinue reading “Appreciating the Staggered Schedule”
A Shock of Cold
Dearest Rachel – Traveling by cruise ship can be a series of cultural shocks as you move from one city or country to another. Customs and habits change with each location – to say nothing of the weather. Even as it’s to be expected on an intellectual level, sometimes the differences catch you by surprise.Continue reading “A Shock of Cold”
Nuuk
Dearest Rachel – Well, now we’re on our way to the capital; a town not even a third the size of our own, but which makes up nearly half the population of the entire… country?… of Greenland. Yes, that’s a contentious point, and I’ll get to it further along, as I put this together. Yes,Continue reading “Nuuk”
Greenland Isn’t Icy Either, But…
Dearest Rachel – We were in the Crown Lounge yesterday morning, enjoying our coffee (which I’d spiked with chocolate syrup from the pancake table; for some reason, they don’t have hot cocoa mix on this trip, when it would be so much more appropriate to have on hand, given some of the places we’re visiting)Continue reading “Greenland Isn’t Icy Either, But…”
from Rachel: While I Was Still In Prayer
Read Daniel 9:20-23. How does the word ‘while’ emphasize timing?The angel Gabriel came to Daniel…verse 20: ‘while “I was speaking and praying”’verse 21: ‘while “I was still in prayer”’ Imagine you’re in the throes of desperate pleas to God, pouring out confessions and cries of intercession, when suddenly you’re interrupted by a celestial messenger whoContinue reading “from Rachel: While I Was Still In Prayer”
Qaqortoq
Dearest Rachel – Well, we’re finally landing somewhere I’ve – we’ve – never been before, and to be honest, it’s a place that never would have crossed my mind. Not just that it wouldn’t have occurred to me to visit Greenland, but this town is one I didn’t know existed, and still find myself wonderingContinue reading “Qaqortoq”
When the Camera Doesn’t Do it Justice
Dearest Rachel – So our second day in Iceland had us on an actual excursion. While I’d considered a horseback ride as a option, Daniel’s lack of enthusiasm for the possibility (to be fair, he hasn’t ridden a horse since we visited Disney World with Ellen some twenty-three years ago) caused me to decide againstContinue reading “When the Camera Doesn’t Do it Justice “
Time Afoot
Dearest Rachel – After finishing up my last letter to you about the city (granted, I didn’t dwell too much on the city, since you remember having been here – and, like I said, we didn’t spend too much time in Reykjavik proper), there wasn’t a whole lot for us to do at the timeContinue reading “Time Afoot”
Reykjavik
Dearest Rachel – It sort of ties our last port of call with the one we’re arriving at; even when we last visited the place, some twelve years ago, we couldn’t think of this city’s name without recalling Glasgow native Craig Ferguson during his Late Late Show days. About a year or so into hisContinue reading “Reykjavik”
The Glasgow Experience
Dearest Rachel – They say that it takes one day for every time zone to acclimatize yourself to your destination when you travel. It’s another reason to appreciate cruising; the travel is so slow and gentle that you can only go across a single time zone on any given day at its fastest. However, inContinue reading “The Glasgow Experience”
Glasgow
Dearest Rachel – Once again, I’m not sure whether to bother researching a place we’ve visited before; except for the fact that we really didn’t visit this city the last time I recall being here. When we pulled into Greenock, we simply took a shore excursion that drove us across the width of Scotland (suchContinue reading “Glasgow”
Letters to Rachel 