Yesterday morning, September 11, 2024, we were having a bite of breakfast in our cabin as we began the final day of our cruise on the southern tip of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. We were on the American Liberty, the newest ship in the family owned fleet of American Cruise Lines. As you can tell from the name, they are quite committed to America and the values that she stands for. In fact, I found out this week that the company actually also builds its own ships at a shipyard on the east coast that was purchased a number of years ago.
We are aboard what is called a coastal cat, a modified catamaran, that has a broader bow and allows the ship to enter shallower waters that larger ships may not be able to navigate. This also allows the ship to pull right up to docks and avoids the necessity of having tenders transport passengers to shore as they do on the larger cruise lines. This is the first time that we have chosen to cruise on this line and we absolutely love the fact that there are only 100 passengers on the entire ship. However, if you like casinos, pools and loads of kids, you’re out of luck. This cruise pretty much caters to older passengers who never made much use of the amenities that larger ships have offered around the glove.
What a blessing it has been to get to know the entire staff – and they have been awesome. In fact, we have already booked another cruise, on this same ship, for next May after Mother’s Day. We will be traveling the Atlantic coast from Charleston, SC and winding up in Florida. In the meantime, we have come to meet most, if not all, of the passengers and have even started to develop relationships with many of them. All the members of the crew are American, they wear red, white and blue gear; and even have belts that are lined with American flags. In other words, Janet and I love the experience that we have had.
While it has been a tremendous time for us, the most defining moment of the entire week happened yesterday morning at 8:46 a.m. For those of you who may not remember, this was the time that the first World Trade Center Tower was hit by the terrorists on 9/11. By the way, that was 23 years ago. While Americans have vowed to never forget this day that forever changed our lives, it is good to actively reflect on the past and recall the events of that day.
Even though the news was filled with footage of the carnage from that day, and there was a live reading of names of those who lost their lives at Ground Zero, as well as those who were at the Pentagon or passengers on airliners that crashed, I was totally unprepared when Captain Sullivan, of our ship, came on the radio and proceeded to recall the events of that fateful day. He concluded his remarks by asking for a moment of silence – and the silence was deafening. Here we are at sea and you could hear a pin drop. Everything stopped onboard. Servers, cabin attendants, stewards, deck hands and all passengers stopped whatever they were doing to listen to the captain.
The only sound heard, other than Captain Sullivan’s voice, was the splash of the waves against the sides of our ship as we entered the Bristol, RI harbor. I, and many others onboard, actually had chills and were honored to be a part of this solemn reminder of what this country went through 23 years ago. Once again, I was proud to be an American. In fact, I don’t think that I have ever been a part of a remembrance ceremony before yesterday morning. In one word, it was perfect. And, for some reason that I haven’t figured out yet, much different than if we had been at port. Maybe it was the fact that these new friends were all together, as Americans, recalling where we were and what happened 9/11/01. Or entering an American harbor with the waves splashing as we passed the Bristol Lighthouse and American flags on shore. I hope that I never forget it. I watched as many folks, passengers and crew, had tears in their eyes – so grateful to be Americans.
Last night, we packed as things came to an end. This morning, we headed to the airport in Providence, RI and arrived home this evening. Our verse for tonight is from the psalms. The psalmist tells us, in Psalm 106:47, “Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.” It’s long past due that the nation once again embrace gratitude and thankfulness for the blessings that we have received. My encouragement tonight is that the Bible holds words of wisdom for all of us – the families of those who were lost on and after 9/11 as well as those who have recovered and gone on to fulfill their God given mission. My prayer is that we will see evidence of God’s hand in our lives every day. This week, Janet and I sure have. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…