“Hello, dear friends and readers! I have returned from my latest journey to the sea, and I can’t wait to tell you all about an amazing and wonderful experience that I had…
This was the 3rd Annual “We’re Not Adulting This Week” Spring Break Cruise for John, Derrick, and me. Hal & Lynn were with us too, so it was a mix of old friends and newer ones, but the kind of friends who show up, the kind who are more family than friends. In fact, Hal & I have known each other for my entire life, literally since the day I was born! This time, we did eight nights to the US Virgin Islands, which were both new ports for me! I absolutely fell in love with St. Croix, and if I had a couple of million laying around to play with, I would move to a house on Rainbow Beach. Alas, I can only dream of halcyon days for now, but if I win the lottery…
I always like to think of highlights after a trip, and for me, there were two: Labadee and horseback riding on St. Croix. Today, I am focusing on Labadee though, because this was the most random, jaw-dropping “wow” event of the trip.
Lynn and I had planned an excursion at the resort, just a girls’ excursion. We had planned to do a Sip and Paint (Don’t worry, I always stick with kiddie punch!), where we would pick a handmade item, either a clay plate or pitcher made by the locals, and paint whatever we wanted on it. Meanwhile, the guys could all hang out at our cabana on Barefoot Beach drinking Labadoozies and chilling. Unfortunately, Lynn woke up that morning with a backache and they ended up staying on the ship. I decided that I could do the excursion alone, and I would paint her plate too. Everything happens for a reason, after all…
I went and checked in at the kiosk when it was time, and they had me sit down in the meeting area while we waited for everyone to show up. I took a seat next to two older ladies who were mobility-assisted passengers, and we struck up a conversation when one of them saw my phoenix tattoo and asked what the Latin meant. I told her and explained that the date was the date that my phoenix died and began to rise again because it was the date I’d lost my beloved Grubby. They both understood because they were both widows as well. Eventually, one of the excursion leaders came and got them to assist them to the painting pavilion before returning for the rest of us.
When we got to the pavilion, my new friends invited me to sit with them to do the painting, so I did. As we painted, we talked and Karen, who was beside me, asked Phyllis if she was painting UFOs on her plate. Phyllis was across the table from her, and she confirmed that yes, in fact her plate would have UFOs on it. Karen teased her about ruining her plate with UFOs and I said I was down with the UFOs, so Karen asked if I was into extraterrestrial and metaphysical things because Phyllis was apparently a Bigfoot aficionado. I said that while I wouldn’t necessarily say that I was so much into it, I do believe that there is energy all around us and that sometimes we can receive messages from the other side. Then, I started telling them about my visit to Elly, the medium I saw I October of 2022 after Grubby had died. In the middle of me relating that experience to them, Phyllis looked up and asked, “Who’s John?” I was a bit taken aback because I hadn’t even talked about John! When we had talked about who we were traveling with, I just said I was traveling with friends and that the woman I was painting for couldn’t make it to the excursion. I said that John was my BFF and that he was down on the beach. She then said, “I’m a psychic medium and I got a message to ask you who John is to see how you would react. I have something for you.” At that, she reached out her hand and gave me a tiger’s eye heart. She told me that he [Grubby] wanted me to know he was there with us and that he loved me. I teared up and she apologized for making me cry. I told her that these were happy tears because I’d been feeling as though I was disconnected from him, as though he wasn’t around as much anymore. What an awe-inspiring, random, and emotional day that was…
After that day in that pavilion, I never saw Karen or Phyllis again, despite the fact that we had that intense moment of connection and there were still six nights left of the cruise.
As much as I hated that Lynn wasn’t able to join the excursion, I realized that had she been with me, she and I would have been talking, not meeting and forming a connection with anyone else, and I would probably not have been given a message from Grubby. Maybe that was the reason that she woke up in pain that morning. Maybe she needed to forgo the excursion so I could open myself up to whoever or whatever may come into my path…
Pretty weird!