An excerpt from my book, “Red Jewel.” Read more from the links above.
“The moon? Oh, the moon. By now it was a large bright orb that appeared on our eastern horizon just after sunset, rising. How bright it was and a welcome sight. It will be our companion until the early hours tomorrow. You could read a book by it and its pale light gave the color of the sea around us a silk-like, midnight blue colored texture. And under the moonlight the boat’s phosphorescence came to life, glimmering and sparkling bits of plankton that transformed itself magically into sheets of translucent but shimmering diamonds or star-dust running down the hull from the bow to the stern. Like a sorcerer’s mix this phosphorescence transformed the boat’s bow wave into a magical mix that was exquisite and breathtaking to look at. It was God’s manifestation of His physical presence in this world. A reminder. Our stern wake took on a paranormal ghostly appearance as it snaked its way astern then dissipated into the nothingness and magnitude of the dark blue seas behind us. It was as if God was telling us to take note, as his presence is revealed to us by the mysterious and miraculous sea world around us.
With the moonlight upon us the night was no longer an ominous threat. Then, as the night progressed, and the moon rose higher and higher, it carried a golden ring that made its radiance brighter in intensity. It was so bright and clear that I thought I could make out the American Flag that was planted on the moon by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin back in 1969. Or is that the man in the moon I am seeing: an expression that was clearly defined as he or her smiled down upon us. And at sunrise the sky revealed a rising sun in the east and a translucent, pale looking moon to the west. It was magical. It was transcendental as it was very spiritual. Looking out into the infinity of the universe and of its perfection and complexity I know with certainty that there is a God.
It was during these times, in the middle of the night, that I found myself miles and miles ahead of myself or mentally distant from my current reality. This is what occurs to you at sea in the middle of the night with only your thoughts for company. I stare at the moon and study every nuance of its surface consciously while unconsciously my mind drifts away into the past where I am able to remember minute and insignificant details of my life with renewed clarity and understanding and peace. No longer am I afraid of what or how life may present itself to me but looked forward to all that life has to offer. For now, in this beautiful setting of God’s given and most powerful elements of sea, wind and sky; and the stars and planets that form all of the constellations, I can recognize a true powerful and living God and thank him with all of my heart for all of his blessings that he has bestowed upon me. I look to my future with assuredness, anticipation and confidence. It is in this moment of time and space, and clairvoyance, on this boat in the middle of the central Pacific Ocean, that I am filled with elation and happiness. It is an unbelievable feeling of wellness and joy and one that I have rarely experienced in my lifetime.
Then or now.
And without a moon? A gazillion pricks of light appeared. You sit there in your element as if you were on a plain of fluid bobbing around and trapped inside of an inverted bowl. Above you were millions and millions of stars forming a canopy of infinity that is only limited by the relatively minuscule and human visual boundaries from the eastern horizon to the west, and from the northern limitations to the south. It was an eerie sight, and feeling, attempting to visualize infinity: The Alpha and the Omega. A mystery of life itself. You couldn’t even attempt to measure it or define it. And from within the bowl, the stars appeared like some celestial audience that was watching our every move and trek across their world and their universe.”
And that is why I firmly believe there is a God. I see his presence all around me, in all of our visual landscapes. That…that reality brings me a peace. A peace in a world that is firmly out of control. A world in which one’s spiritual beliefs and values can get one persecuted…or in our current vernacular…cancelled.
A beautiful song:
And another song that puts a smile on my face.
Have a great day.
No worries for God is in control…of everything.
Check out my books through the links above. They are available through Amazon.
Thanks.
Trust me. Drink