Buying AMARA and then sailing her has not come without headaches. Yes, we have amazing adventures as we sail together with our family. We have the wonderful opportunity to go into new ports and discover new land, people and cultures. But along the way, we are also discovering ourselves and one another (a little more under the microscope, I might add).
We have only been sailing for 2 months together and we still have so much more to sail to and see. However, these two months have pulled us even closer together as a couple. No longer do we go about our day doing our own things and interests and then come together in the evening. Now, we wake up, eat together, get Lily ready together, make decisions together, we pray together and we sail together. I feel so blessed to have this time with Martin. I feel so blessed to have him as a husband who listens to me and always asks me each day, "What can I do to help you today."
Sailing hasn't come without it's arguments. Martin and I didn't meet and marry until we were in our forties (well, I was barely) and we had lived a lifetime before meeting one another. So, yes, we have differing opinions at times, but because we made a commitment to one another, we are both willing to bend. Sometimes Martin bends a little more and sometimes I bend a little more. We take turns, we talk, we reason, we remind one another how much we love the other person, and again, we continue to sail... together.
Today, we are about to take off and leave for our 22 day passage across the Pacific. NO LAND FOR 22 DAYS! Thinking about it gets me excited but it also makes me nervous. For 22 days, Martin and I (and Sue, David, Meredith and Lily) will be there together, with little time to be apart or find alone time (something I crave). But I am strengthened knowing that Martin will be with me every step of the way. He will teach me and I will teach him more than anything... patience. Sailing has brought us a whole new level in our relationship. One that I couldn't have understood unless I had lived and experienced it.
I am so grateful to have AMARA as she teaches Martin and I daily to face the wind, trim the sails if necessary and know that more than anything, "We are in this together."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
WHERE IN THE WORLD
Don't forget to follow AMARA by clicking on the big blue map in the right Nav bar (Where in the World) and follow us as we sail across the Pacific. It updates almost hourly, so you can see exactly where we are at any given time.Also, I have a really cool tool now that allows me to blog while we are on the boat (it will be slow, and it ain't cheap) so my updates will probably be once or twice a week. Keep checking back because we have so much more to discover... together.
