I just pulled the trigger on February 2011 issue of From My Heart to Yours, my online newsletter. It is speeding its way through cyberspace toward those who have signed up to receive it. What? You haven’t signed up?!?! Well, you can take care of that right now. Go to the Home page of my website and enter your name …
Where is Jerusalem?
The other day I read Psalm 122, which is a prayer for Jerusalem. As I read, I mentally pictured the modern-day Holy Land, and the Wailing Wall, and the crowded streets I’ve seen on television but never visited. In other words, Jerusalem seems like a far away place. But I’ve learned that most things that were important for the Hebrew …
Panama Canal Cruise – The Last Two Days
During the final two days of our 2-week cruise, we couldn’t believe the vacation was almost over. We spent the days getting the maximum enjoyment out of our vacation. We relaxed on the Oasis deck for hours. Funny, but only a handful of people seemed to find the Oasis during the entire cruise. We were always able to go there …
Panema Canal – Towels and Napkins
On every cruise we’ve ever taken, we are treated to a variety of towel creatures by the cabin stewards. This cruise was no different. Our stewards were Made and Mantri, and they took exceptionally good care of us. Plus, they had great towel folding skills, too. Take a look (you can click on an image to make it bigger): The …
Panamal Canal Cruise – Shipboard Activities
When we first booked this cruise, Ted and I were both a little nervous about spending 14 days at sea. At least half the days were spent at sea, with no land in sight. Surely we would have times where we were bored, right? So wrong! We’re cruise veterans, so we knew there would be activities to fill our time, …
Panama Canal Cruise – Day 12 – Cartegna Colombia
Our last port of the cruise was Cartegna, Colombia. Again, neither Ted nor I had ever visited Colombia, so we were eager to see the country. From the ship’s deck, it looked like a huge modern city. Our cruise director told us all those skyscrapers are condominiums. We took a “City Highlights” tour, and spent several hot, steamy hours riding …
Panama Canal Cruise – Day 11 – through the Canal!
The evening of our 10th day at sea was a pinnacle – we arrived in Panama at 7:00 p.m. Since you can’t go through the locks at night, the ship anchored and we grabbed a tender (a small boat holding about 50 passengers) in to the pier at Fuerte Amador. Sad to say, we saw nothing more than a small …
Panama Canal Cruise – Days 9 and 10
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 …