Now that Christmas and New Year’s are over, I’ll return to my recap of our recent Panama Canal Cruise. As the sun set over Guatemala on day 8, our ship the Statendam pointed its bow southward and set sail. Days 9 and 10 were a pair of lazy days at sea that are so restful and incredibly relaxing, but afterward …
Panama Canal Cruise – Day 8
On Day 8 of our cruise, we visited Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. This was our first time in Guatemala, and we were especially eager to visit Antigua. On the way to the city, we stopped for a tour of a coffee plantation. We really didn’t want to tour a coffee plantation, but were pleasantly surprised to find it an enjoyable, informative, …
Panama Canal Cruise – Observation About Day 7
I wanted to add a special note about our visit to Puerta Chiapas, Mexico. We saw a lot of really poor people during our trip, and we were moved every time. We drove past homes that were nothing more than 3-sided shacks, with sheets of tin laid across the top to shield the occupants from the rain. The wealthy ones …
Panama Canal Cruise – Day 7
On the 7th day of our cruise through the Panama Canal, we visited Puerta Chiapas, Mexico. It’s a tiny little port town created specifically for the cruise ships. We weren’t so impressed with the port town — too commercial — but we went on a tour with a dozen other people and a guide of Mayan descent named Arturo to …
Panama Canal Cruise – Days 5 and 6
Day 5 on our cruise was another relaxing day at sea. You start to lose track of the days after a while, but Holland America has an interesting way of keeping their passengers in touch with time – every elevator had a rug that announced the day of the week. You’d be surprised how much we came to rely on …
Panama Canal Cruise – Day 4
Now that Christmas is past, I’ll continue my recap of our recent cruise through the Panama Canal. On day 4, we stopped in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. We’ve been there once before, and love the atmosphere of this town. The scenery is beautiful, ringed by the Sierra Madres and facing the gorgeous waters of Banderas Bay. We boarded a boat for …
Did Jesus Enjoy Your Christmas Party?
I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas! It’s been such a wild and chaotic month my Journal has been neglected. For the past week we’ve had one party after another – family dinners, gatherings with friends, gift exchanges, a Christmas play in which my niece acted (and she was a terrific Comet!), lunches and outings and shopping with …
Panama Canal Cruise – Days 1-3
My husband and I are veteran cruise vacationers, and we just returned from a 14-day cruise through the Panama Canal. We love cruising to awesome scuba diving destinations, and have done it many times. But this cruise was a first for us in several ways. It was the first 14-day cruise we’ve ever taken (all our previous cruises were 7 …
The Making of a Christmas Tradition
This week I have an article featured on the website, ChristianDevotions.us. Thanks to Cindy and Eddie and all the terrific folks who run that wonderful ministry. I’ve included the article here. I’d love to hear about your Christmas traditions! — The Making of a Christmas Traditionby Virginia Smith When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the …
What Advent Means to Me
When I was a little girl, we had an Advent Calendar. It was a fabric wall hanging with 25 pockets and a stuffed mouse that moved toward Christmas one pocket at a time as each day of December passed. I wasn’t sure exactly what Advent meant, except that it was a countdown to Santa Claus, and there were pieces of …