Marilyn Moseley Shares "A Sea-Sick Christmas"

"But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel."  

Matthew 2:6 (NIV)

Praise God for our precious Shepherd who was born on that long ago Christmas Day in the little town of Bethlehem!

I am sad that today is the last day of our special series of sharing favorite Christmas Memories!

I don't know about you, but it has been such a wonderful, joyful time for us reading these precious stories as they came in, then passing them on to you.  I hope they blessed and warmed your heart!

And, now here is the last Christmas Memory Sharing Post of 2019—a harrowing, yet comical story about a Christmas ferry ride in a storm!

Guest Post #16

"A SEA-SICK CHRISTMAS" by Marilyn Moseley

"Some memories you have as a child never seem to fade, while others prompted by a story or another memory come back into view.  Being this is the Christmas season, many memories of Christmas gone by have wriggled their way to the surface, but this particular memory is forever etched in my memory as the star of the show. 

Because my mother’s family lived about eight hours away, going to visit our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins was always a cause for excitement at Christmas.  As children, we were never terribly concerned about driving weather conditions, but rather we excitedly prepared to see all the family and looked forward to the massive family dinner followed by opening presents under the Christmas tree, and spending fun times with our cousins.  

That fateful Christmas week however, a massive storm was headed up the coastline, with its eye pointed right at our little island.  My parents decided they would leave a bit earlier than usual, hoping to outrun the storm.  The anticipation grew as we kids began our yearly fight over who would sit where in our family station wagon.  The most coveted seat, of course, was the back seat which could be folded down into more comfortable quarters for the long 8-hour drive.  Soon the station wagon was loaded to the gills, and off we went, excitedly talking about all we would see and do once we got to Gram and Gramp's. 

We lived on a tiny island, Prince Edward Island, Canada and the only way off the island at that time was by ferry.  My parents knew the schedule of the ferry, and were anxious to make it there to catch the ferry for the anticipated departure. Upon arriving at the ferry, our hearts sunk as we saw the lineup of cars waiting to board, and it surely seemed like we weren’t going to make it on this run.  The wind by this time was whipping snow across the parking lot, and visibility was diminishing. Still the ferry kept loading, and suddenly a big smile burst out on Dad’s face… we were going to make it on the ferry!  And not only that… we were the last car to board! Whooppee! With excitement all of us kids hollered out with joy…. We made it!  

As Dad drove the car up onto the ramp of the ferry, huge gusts of wind barreled across the car, and I wondered if we might blow right off into the ocean.  Dad’s smile was waning as he looked worriedly at the skies and the water.  “Well,” he said, “We made it!” 

The fun part was ahead of us now as we made our way to the deck of the ferry, and opened up the lunch Mom had packed for us.  We had just settled in our seats when the ferry groaned and tipped sideways.  Then lurching back the other direction, we could feel the momentum of the ferry moving forward.  Dad’s eyes looked a bit concerned as he walked over to the window, joining multiple other passengers there, gazing out at the ocean beneath us.

It wasn’t long until one of my sisters started to look a little green.  My own stomach felt a little woozy too.  As the ship slowly made its way forward, the deck was quiet as passengers had stopped their cheery greetings and small talk, and now most of them stood at the windows.  Soon a lurch sideways sent many of us off our seats and onto the floor.  Then back again, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

Then the panic set in as passengers began making their way to the tiny bathroom, some not making it in time.  Soon every trash can, receptacle, toilet, sink, and whatever else could be found had passengers losing their stomach contents in great agony.  

The ship’s captain came on the loudspeaker warning everyone to sit on the floor and to hold onto a pole, chair, or something secure.  No one really paid much attention as most were already doing just that.  

For what seemed like light years, the agonizing lurching went on as the wind howled and the windows showed nothing but white fury.

Amazingly, my stomach’s contents stayed in place, and I crawled around the women’s bathroom dumping the trash baskets for my mom and sisters who weren’t so lucky.  I don’t know where I got my nerves of steel, but I’ll never forget being very calm and just trying to help everyone since I was mostly unaffected by the sea sickness. 

The never-ending motion finally came to a grinding halt, several hours longer than it would normally have taken.  My dad came to the restroom to help my mother and sister, while I held onto the other sister.  My brothers were holding onto Dad. Bleary-eyed and exhausted, we made our way down to the car.  

Once we were settled in, Mom and Dad began to pray and thank the Lord for our safe arrival in spite of the massive storm.  As our car exited the ferry onto the other side, we saw the gate closed and realized that the ferry had been shut down to other travelers.  

The storm continued unabated, and we inched along in the station wagon, wondering how much more we could take.  But miraculously, the gusts of wind began to cease and ease up, and soon the road had cleared enough to where Dad could drive at a decent speed again… it seemed we must have outrun the storm.   

After the long hours had passed and we finally reached our destination, I saw my father finally relax as he sunk into the rocking chair in my Gram’s kitchen.  We had made it, Praise the Lord!  We gathered together in praise and thankfulness that the awful experience we had had on the ferry had ended without any problems.  It seemed cause for rejoicing as we reunited with our cousins, aunts and uncles, retelling the story of our fateful ferry crossing.

I can guarantee you that Mom and Dad never tried to outrace another storm again! 

I can’t tell you what I got for Christmas that year, or any other details about that Christmas other than to remember how very grateful, and thankful I was that we survived a winter’s stormy ride on PEI’s Northumberland Ferry." 

Bio:

Marilyn from Mountaintop Spice is an avid hobby photographer living in North Idaho who shares her love for photography with inspirational writings on her blog and with the writing group she is a member of.  Her love for the Lord and ambition as a writer began at an early age growing up in Prince Edward Island, Canada, the home of Lucy Maud Montgomery, whose writings were Marilyn’s childhood inspiration. Leaving the red soil of the Island, she married a Texan, and now lives in North Idaho in with her husband, two children, 20+ chickens, two dogs and the reigning king of the home, Mister Simba, the cat.   Marilyn enjoys seeking out beauty with her camera lens in the Lord's creation around her to share with friends, family, and the blogging community. She blogs at Mountaintop Spice.  Images from her photography can be found at Mountaintop Spice Photos.

A huge THANK YOU to Marilyn for sharing her heartwarming and humorous Christmas adventure with us here!  It was truly such a blessing to our hearts!

And, a huge thank you to ALL of the wonderful participants who sent us their amazing stories about memories, traditions, special gifts, and precious moments from Christmases past!

I'm sad to see this special series end!  I hope all of you enjoyed reading the stories and were as blessed by them as we were!  

May God bless all of you with a wonderful Christmas Day, and may He send peace to your hearts as 2019 continues to wind down and come to a close.  For many, this has been a very hard year, including our family.  Sometimes, peace is hard to find, but we all know WHO is our peace.  Our dear precious Lord Jesus who was born all those years ago into such humble surroundings.  His entrance into this world was not with worldly fanfare, but heralded by the angels of Heaven!  

How I love and adore Him!

More than ever before in my life, I long to serve and please Him. 

He truly means everything to me.

I hope He does to you, too!

From Kevin, Zachary, and me, we want to wish every reader a very

Merry Christmas!!

In case you missed them, you can read previous Christmas Memory Sharing Posts by clicking these links:

Christmas from the Dumpster

Matthew Timmons Shares His Heart This Christmas

Tipper Pressley Shares Her and Granny's Favorite Christmas Memories

Chris West Shares Two of his Favorite Christmas Memories

Melissa Evans Shares Her Favorite Christmas Memory

Aryn the Libraryan Shares Her Favorite Christmas Tradition

Gentle Joy Shares About a Christmas Miracle

Kitty Shares About a Cherished Christmas Gift

Nancy Reinke Shares About a Rocky Mountain Christmas

Zachary Shares About An Unexpected Christmas Surprise

Karen Del Tatto Shares About a Priceless Christmas Gift

Emily Vick Shares About Gifts from her Paw Paw

Henry Morgan Shares About A Christmas Reunion
Barbara Dunford Shares Christmas Memories from Cornwall, England
Janet Fehskens Shares a Heartwarming Christmas Memory

Here are some more of my favorite Christmas songs.  I hope you enjoy!


A Baby Just Like You (Merry Christmas, Little Zachary) by John Denver


For Mama by The Statler Brothers


O Holy Night by Martina McBride


Who Do You Think? by The Statler Brothers


Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant

Mary's Sweet Smile by The Statler Brothers

Christmas for Cowboys by John Denver

Something You Can't Buy by The Statler Brothers

Tender Tennessee Christmas by Amy Grant

Christmas to Me by The Statler Brothers

What Child is This? by Martina McBride