“Think of love as a state of grace: not the means to anything but the alpha and omega, an end in itself.” Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
On any given Valentine’s Day, we are likely to think of love as celebrating affection for another person, perhaps with a gift of flowers or chocolates or a wishful, romantic note. On this Valentine’s Day, in a time of Covid and social upheaval, we may choose to think of love more broadly to include compassion for others and appreciation for that which we have, that which we value.
There is much to love this Valentine’s Day. Just last Thursday, during a gloomy, early evening storm, a few volunteers gathered virtually to greet one another and share what they love about Call of the Sea. Here is the gist of their comments:
“I truly loved the experience working on the ship.”
“Meeting all of you has been a joy. I love you all.”
“It has been inspiring to see how so many people of different ages and backgrounds came together to build a lasting community.”
“While working as a docent, I discovered that I actually do love kids.”
“I really like that we are poised to help communities hardest hit by the pandemic.”
Call of the Sea is indeed poised to sail again this Spring. We will offer enriched programs to new generations of students whose education has been severely disrupted by the pandemic. We will provide healthy on-the-water experiences to a broad diversity of people of various social positions.
When will we set sail? You are among the first to know. Our plan, which some may regard as overly ambitious, is to take passengers on Matthew Turner on April 22, Earth Day! If our crew has been vaccinated, and public health protocols allow it, we will take those passengers who were booked to sail last year on Earth Day. The very next day, Friday, April 23, and throughout Opening Day weekend, we will embark on a regular schedule of community and educational day sails.
We love it! And we hope you do, too. Drop us a line or two about why you love Call of the Sea. We will publish them on our website and randomly select seven to receive two tickets for a future community sail. Our Valentine’s gift to you.
Near the end of the novel Love in a Time of Cholera, two lovers are sailing on a river to avoid a devastating plague. One of them, Fermina, asks the other, Florentino, the ship’s captain, how long he thinks they can sail up and down the river. His reply: “forever.”
You are forever in our hearts. Stay safe.
Steven Woodside, Executive Director, Call of the Sea