Pardon me, Dear Readers, for this blog post that will be some sort of stream of consciousness. I am sitting up in Horizons waiting to watch the sun rise as I try to deal with an incident which occurred on board last night. Linda and I went to the Martinis Bar to have a drink before dinner. The bar was crowded but we found an empty sofa next to a chair in which a gentleman was seated. We asked if we could sit there and he kind of nodded so I ordered our drinks and sat down. We weren't sure if he even heard us. Soon a couple came over and joined him. You know, sometimes you meet people and have a polite conversation and other times you just click. Well, this was a time when we clicked. The couple were Renee and Scott and the older gentleman, Barry, was Renee's father. After a half hour of good conversation, we decided to have dinner together. Part of the conversation was, of course, about cruising. Ninety-one year old Barry said that the longest cruise he had taken was 14 days and when we told him that we had booked the 4 month world cruise he was at first kind of shocked. But as the evening went on he kept coming back to that and thinking that it was appealing. Well, as we were enjoying our main courses, I asked Barry what he had ordered and he just looked at us blankly. It was clear that he was having some sort of medical issue. Was he choking? Was he having a stroke? The wait staff jumped into action and a nurse from another table came over to assist. Finally, after what felt like a long period of time, they called the "Code Mike" and the medical team arrived. They seemed to stabilize him and took him down to Medical. Linda and I sat stunned. After a bit of a walk, we went to our cabin and Linda called Renee and Scott. Scott told her that Barry had passed away.
So, here I am this morning still trying to wrap my head around this. Two deaths in 5 days, one essentially right before our eyes.
Well, the day is brightening and writing this has been very therapeutic for me so thank you for listening.
Remember to enjoy every moment of this precious life you've been given while you can.
Peace and blessings and long life,
Linda and Larry
Wow, what a shock. Take comfort in knowing that you and Linda were part of making his last moments pleasant. You're right, though, life is precious. You guys are living yours to the fullest. Love to both of you. -- Cousin Cheryl
ReplyDeleteThank you for your uplifting thoughts.
ReplyDeleteSad and shocking. But if it was his time, being on a luxury cruise ship at 91 years old, enjoying a gourmet dinner with family and lovely new friends, makes him more fortunate than many. May he rest in peace. Maybe it's like a long cruise, without dealing with airports and luggage. 💜Maddy
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about his passing. It must be a shock for all of you.
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