Dearest Rachel – As a follow-up to my second letter from yesterday, I should point out that, as one might expect, my moment beneath my license weight after working out to the point of dizziness has passed – at least for now. Upon waking up this morning, I was basically back in the same positionContinue reading “The Creak of Bones”
Monthly Archives: June 2026
The Other Side of the Scale
Dearest Rachel – Monday morning, which is bad enough even without a job to go to, and I totter over to the bathroom; more specifically, the bathroom scale. Ever since Daniel and I got home from this last cruise, I’ve backslid to the point where I’m nearly pushing two-forty again. Granted, since getting home, I’veContinue reading “The Other Side of the Scale”
Belated Birthday
Dearest Rachel – Like me, Daniel has come to grips with the fact that his actual birthday doesn’t revolve around him, much as we all would wish otherwise about our own. However, as long as he’s been willing to defer it to a more opportune day, I still want to make sure that he getsContinue reading “Belated Birthday”
from Rachel: Being a God-Loving Example (part two)
In the blanks below, write the two most significant statements in today’s reading assignment. Be prepared to discuss why the statements you chose were significant to you. “To have an influence on other people, you cannot be just ‘more of the same’ kind of people they are. You must be different to make a differenceContinue reading “from Rachel: Being a God-Loving Example (part two)”
Self-Imposed Oubliette
Dearest Rachel – So there are these places called anechoic chambers, used for testing equipment that are either extremely loud (thereby needing a room that can dampen the sound they emit) or extremely sensitive (thus requiring that all external noise be extinguished or blocked in order to test them). Every surface in the room isContinue reading “Self-Imposed Oubliette”
We Never Bothered With That
Dearest Rachel – Things are slowly starting to get back to something approximating normal; yesterday saw Daniel and myself over at Mom’s place (okay, that took a moment – I still almost wrote down “the folks’ place”) for Thursday dinner. Granted, in the chaos of the past couple of weeks – yes, it’s only beenContinue reading “We Never Bothered With That”
Nothing to Worry About?
Dearest Rachel – It’s been a couple of years since last I commented on such an event happening as it did yesterday evening; although compared to our own lives, that actually seems more often than it used to be. Then again, what do I know? It’s not as if I was keeping track of lifeContinue reading “Nothing to Worry About?”
I Don’t Have to Get Up
Dearest Rachel – Light seeps into the bedroom; cool, grey and cloudy, but light nonetheless. I can hear the chirp of various birds from the backyard, even as the occasional motorcar roars by outside in front of the house. It’s been an exhausting couple of days, but it seems as if we’re needing to getContinue reading “I Don’t Have to Get Up”
What I Intended To Say
Dearest Rachel – Well, we got through the funeral and the graveside service with as much composure as could be expected – although I didn’t hold it together as well as I thought I might once I got to the podium. Daniel had to come up and stand by my side when I asked permissionContinue reading “What I Intended To Say”
Let’s Get This Party Over With
It is better to go to a ·funeral [L house of mourning] than to a ·party [L drinking house].·We all must die [L It is everyone’s end], and everyone living should ·think about this [L take it to heart]. Ecclesiastes 7:2, Expanded Bible Dearest Rachel – Since I identify with the older version of Solomon – the writer of Ecclesiastes – than the younger oneContinue reading “Let’s Get This Party Over With”
An Odd Birthday
Dearest Rachel – This isn’t my story, exactly; but since my perspective is the only one I have, that’s the only one I can relate to you. It’s not as if he would put the events of yesterday in writing so as to remember, so the duty falls to me, regardless. Besides, there were aContinue reading “An Odd Birthday”
from Rachel: Being a God-Loving Example (part one)
In the blanks below, write the two most significant statements in today’s reading assignment. Be prepared to discuss why the statements you chose were significant to you. “Similarly, how he chooses to spend his resources of time, money, and energy reveals his priorities. Are they spent primarily – if not an amount, at least inContinue reading “from Rachel: Being a God-Loving Example (part one)”
Worse Than Being On Hold
Dearest Rachel – So, in an effort to keep you up-to-date with thing happening in my life, no matter how mundane (especially since the stuff that isn’t mundane is rather depressing at the moment. Like funereal depressing, literally), I have to let you know that there are in fact ordinary things in life worse thanContinue reading “Worse Than Being On Hold”
Stones, Spaces and Circumstances
Dearest Rachel – I’m looking forward to a relatively slow day today, honey. Granted, the boys are going to the movies tonight, and have invited me along because I expressed interest in the film when it came out – maybe my concerns about making stuff ‘uncool’ for them by expressing interest in them are unfoundedContinue reading “Stones, Spaces and Circumstances”
More Normal than I’ve a Right To…
Dearest Rachel – So, the last couple of days, have been… well, I wouldn’t say a flurry of activity, necessarily, but busy enough that I haven’t had the chance to determine what, if anything, is really different about life before and after Daniel and I left. Oh, there are the obvious things, of course; whenContinue reading “More Normal than I’ve a Right To…”
Back to ‘Work’
Dearest Rachel – I hope it didn’t sound like I was teasing my sister when I referred to the fact that she was taking care of all the administrative work behind dad‘s funeral arrangements as her means of coping with his passing. To be sure, teasing is one of the main duties of being aContinue reading “Back to ‘Work’”
Faith in ‘the’ System? Or ‘His’?
Dearest Rachel – One last travel story before we move on. Yes, there’s a lot to deal with at home, with Dad’s passing and everything that has to be done both to commemorate him and figure out how to move on with life after him (all of which should sound familiar, since that’s basically beenContinue reading “Faith in ‘the’ System? Or ‘His’?”
It All Seems So Small Now
Dearest Rachel – I tell you, honey, we leave for a few weeks, and when we come back, everything is turned completely upside down. Or is that too callous a perspective? To be fair, it was Dad himself who made the rueful joke about not being able to pick us up at the airportContinue reading “It All Seems So Small Now”
When it All Becomes Commonplace
Dearest Rachel – This shouldn’t come as any great surprise to you, honey – you’d lived with me long enough to know already, and you’ve seen plenty written to you since then to watch me codify it that much further – but I’m something of a foodie. Oh, I can live with simple stuff atContinue reading “When it All Becomes Commonplace”
Travel Prayers
Dearest Rachel – I don’t know what it is about travel; maybe it’s the upset involving time zones and having to get used to them, or perhaps it’s the fact that I’m sharing a room with Daniel, whose sleep cycle is that much more out of sync with my own than even yours, especially onContinue reading “Travel Prayers”
Not Where They Live
Dearest Rachel – Our last port of call before making our way to Vancouver and home, and the clouds are once again out and about, as per the more customary Alaskan weather. Likewise, Daniel’s mood seemed that much more… I wouldn’t say sullen, but he was understandably down. But who wouldn’t be, upon getting theContinue reading “Not Where They Live”
Heavenly Sunlight
Dearest Rachel – Sometimes, the fact that I record these things off the cuff in real time makes it hard to say anything particularly important or appropriately meaningful. I have some idea of what to say, but it never feels like enough; especially given the current situation. But under the circumstances, I’m operating under theContinue reading “Heavenly Sunlight”
Seven Years in the Making
I wasn’t there that morning when my father passed away. I didn’t get to tell him all the things I had to say. Mike and the Mechanics, “The Living Years” (1988) Dearest Rachel – I think Daniel was asleep, but not for long thereafter. My phone vibrated at about five-thirty this morning. It was Jenn,Continue reading “Seven Years in the Making”
Icy Strait Point
Dearest Rachel – Up until Wednesday, I had no idea this was a place, let alone this was where we were going to be stopping yesterday. Judging from the maps showing our ship’s progress and itinerary, I’d assumed we would be pulling into Juneau – which, ironically, would have been the first stop of thisContinue reading “Icy Strait Point”
A Moment of Panic
Dearest Rachel – It never occurred to me to ask Kevin about it to confirm it, but somewhere out there, I had heard that the life of a security guard was 99.9 percent composed of sheer and utter boredom, with that last one-tenth of one percent of time being spent in mortal fear for yourContinue reading “A Moment of Panic”
Distracted in Valdez
Dearest Rachel – The last couple of days have been a little bit difficult. Daniel and I have been trying to keep in touch with the folks, calling them every day before we head out. Dad may have granted us his blessing to go traveling while he is in hospice, but that doesn’t absolve meContinue reading “Distracted in Valdez”
Monday in Seward
Dearest Rachel – There must be something about Mondays; yesterday morning, before I cracked open my eyes, I was having to deal with paying for a four-day hotel stay in Stillwater, OK where I was at a training session with Mohinder, of all people. Even as I was doing so, I was wondering how IContinue reading “Monday in Seward”
The Other Side of the Fence
Dearest Rachel – When we were walking around some of the residences around Kodiak, trying to find the bridge to Near Island, we passed by a lot of cars in driveways with bumper stickers. Some were fairly anodyne, like a place they’d traveled to or a local radio station. Others were endorsing one politician orContinue reading “The Other Side of the Fence”
Hitting the Beach
Dearest Rachel – It wasn’t until I was going through my news feed after over breakfast that I realized that yesterday was the anniversary of D-day. Now, far be it from me to trivialize the day by comparing it anything I do, but it did so happen that we were finally ‘hitting the beach,’ ifContinue reading “Hitting the Beach”
from Rachel: Walking in Wisdom (parts one and two)
In the blanks below, write the two most significant statements in today’s reading assignment. Be prepared to discuss why the statements you chose were significant to you. “We must remember that we cannot do any hearing unless the Holy Spirit teaches us God’s Word as we are bending over, peering intently at it – convicting“HowContinue reading “from Rachel: Walking in Wisdom (parts one and two)”
Last Full Day at Sea
Dearest Rachel – Technically, yesterday wasn’t really all that; I believe that it’s still going to take an entire day to get down from Alaska to Vancouver, after all. But for all intents and purposes, this is pretty much it for the languid, lazy days at sea. Heck, this final day already saw me runningContinue reading “Last Full Day at Sea”
Catching Up Too Quickly
Dearest Rachel – So this is our last full day at sea before we get hit by a series of port days; I’ll be running fast and furious between the ports and the computer to document our visits, leaving me with precious little time for random musing and various small but necessary tasks. So it’sContinue reading “Catching Up Too Quickly”
Blackout Curtains
Dearest Rachel – It would seem that things are passing much the way I expected them to. I keep waking up every morning, checking my phone to find out what time it is, and as always, it’s between two and three in the morning (Japan time). Of course, this means that, according to ship time,Continue reading “Blackout Curtains”
One Long Wednesday
Dearest Rachel – One of the quirks about sea travel is that one’s phone does not update automatically with regard to what time it is. Updates occur when we arrive at one port or another, not when you’re crossing a time zone at sea. Ordinarily, this isn’t much of an issue, but on a tripContinue reading “One Long Wednesday”
The Theater Comes to Us
Dearest Rachel – I feel like I should be apologizing for going over so much of the minutia of life aboard the cruise ship. It’s not even the first time I’ve been basically living at sea, after all, so it’s not as if this is anything new. Daniel and I may be in the middleContinue reading “The Theater Comes to Us”
The Ocean Beneath Our Feet
Dearest Rachel – One of the things you always wanted to do when it came to traveling – and especially cruising – was to, and I quote, “feel the ocean beneath [your] feet.” As pleasant as these trips in the Mediterranean, the Baltic, the Caribbean, and so forth were, they were in contained areas, relativelyContinue reading “The Ocean Beneath Our Feet”
Memory Preserves
Dearest Rachel – This isn’t really much of a letter, as it’s going to be somewhat light on actual words. Then again – and I think I said this not all that long ago – if a picture is worth a thousand words, how many is a video worth? And with that having been pointedContinue reading “Memory Preserves”
Letters to Rachel 