The Searchlight of Insight

Sebastian's confession... or maybe mine

As I write this blog I am listening to three or four different versions of  "I Surrender All."  Matt Redman recently recorded a superb cover version of this song, which is to die for if you like old hymns turned into modern Christian songs. (Even if you don't like old hymns turned into modern Christian songs, this song is very, very good, but sorry I don't have a link to it right now!) Meanwhile, we had quite a good weekend but I was exhausted due to new developments in my life. I think the stress of the whole thing was finally released over the weekend and Saturday my body crashed. Saturday afternoon a birthday party took place. At left you'll find all the gorgeous mothers who keep our building glued together... okay, a few of the gorgeous mothers are missing but this is a good snapshot. Regardless, something happened at this party that neither Tess nor myself was aware of... Sebastian wondered. I discovered this 24 hours later in the car.

Post-church we are on our way to the ABC, Tess was at home nursing a cold but meeting us at the Club. While sitting at a stoplight Sebastian said, "Daddee, I did something yesterday that I wasn't supposed to do." Seb was sitting in the back seat of the car, so the triplets listened to this loud confession, too.

"Yes, Sebastian, what was that?" I inquired.

"Yesterday during the party **** and I went to his home when we weren't supposed to," he explained.

"Aha, I see. So, yesterday during the playground party you went up to ****'s home without permission even though you knew that you shouldn't leave the playground without letting us know?"  I confirmed.

"Yes," Sebastian replied with some sheepish confidence.

"Hmmmm... well, Seb I have to tell you that I am very proud of you for being honest and telling me that you think you did something wrong. Thank you. Can I count on you to not do that again and tell me if you want to leave the playground?"

"Yes," Sebastian replied rather confidently.

"Thank you, Sebastian, and I am REALLY proud of you for telling me about this. I love you and I forgive you. If you pray about this, Jesus will forgive you, too." I explained.

"I already prayed to Jesus yesterday asking Him to forgive me," replied Sebastian.

"Wow, Sebastian, that's even better," I said in astonishment.

On Sunday evening I recounted this story to Tess after the kids were in bed. Tess was amazed followed by silence. Then it was my turn, "You want to hear something shocking?" I asked Tess.

"What's that?" she asked.

"I was younger than Sebastian when I tried my first cigarette," I said.

Tess shot THE LOOK at me with "I DON'T BELIEVE YOU."

"It's true. On the cruise south to the Bahamas when I was six years old with my family, we were at the last port in Florida before sailing across to Nassau. I had befriended a boy about my age who must have swiped some cigarettes from somewhere. I took two drags but didn't inhale and then we washed our mouths out with water from a hose. Shortly thereafter I went back to my family's boat for dinner, completely terrified they'd smell the smoke on my breathe."

"That's unbelievable," Tess retorted.

"I remember not liking it... probably a good thing," I said.

"I still don't believe you," Tess murmered.

"I wonder where he got those cigarettes from?" I pondered...

Now I am listening to "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and going deep down memory lane... sigh.

My brush with a stingray

News of Australian 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin's mortal accident struck home here in Hong Kong. Several years ago Irwin was in Hong Kong to catch a croc in the New Territories. The attempt, which lasted for several weeks, failed but Irwin endeared himself to Hong Kongers and I am sure the clever croc, too. (The croc finally slipped away quietly to greener swamps.)

Irwin’s unfortunate death also reminded me of a similar brush with a stingray. When I was six years old (winter of 1968/69) my family sailed from Toronto to the Bahamas via the US eastern seaboard, inter-coastal waterway. Imagine five of us aboard a 28-foot Hinterhoeller sailboat. I have many remarkable memories from that trip… enough, come to think of it, that I’ve created a category on this blog and will share more in the future. But meanwhile, back to the stingray story…

Many of the islands we sailed to in the Bahamas were deserted or sparsely inhabited. One evening we anchored off of a beach, not unlike the one pictured here. Typically once anchored we would ride a small dinghy ashore. We’d hooked up with some friends my parents met along the way who puttered about the Bahamas on a large powerboat. I remember their boat as being white with natural varnished trim, and maybe 40 – 50 feet long. The plan that evening was to have dinner aboard their boat. My sisters and I would return to our boat for bed and the parents would enjoy an after dinner drink in the Caribbean darkness.

The sun was low… it was maybe 5:30 – 6:00 in the late afternoon. We’d been ashore to explore the appealing, deserted beach. I don’t really remember where everyone was at the time, I think ashore, and about to return to our boat before meeting our friends for dinner. Being six years old I was around water enough that I was permitted to play in shallow water provided I wore a lifejacket.

I was playing beside the dinghy when suddenly there was a lot of commotion and shouting from the adults. My dad was about 10 meters away from me, came splashing through the water, picked me up and placed me in the dinghy. He stood very still in the water as a stingray floated along the ocean floor nearby the dinghy. I really had no idea what all the danger was about and was a little perturbed at the playtime interruption. Later I learned to avoid stingrays because their tails could sting much worse than a bee.

During the course of the seven month trip I learned to avoid stingrays, avoid wearing anything shiny in the water (because it would attract barracudas that tended to be more aggressive fish), avoid sea urchins and always wear shoes when walking on coral. By the way, manta rays, look similar to stingrays but are harmless. In The Maldives (where Tess and I spent a week in 1998) the Banyan Tree Resort had manta rays swimming off the beaches that enjoyed being pet by tourists. Unfortunately, the natural oil from a human's hand on the manta ray skin is very bad for the poor creatures. The resort staff always discouraged petting. (At left, yours truly with sisters Carolyn & Penny aboard one of the many vessels we would have seen during our trip.)

I remember that evening in The Bahamas well. The colours of the sunset and water in the above picture remind me of that day. In fact, the picture (of an Abaco, Bahamas sunset) is remarkably as I remember the scene described. Watch out for stingrays because they can be very dangerous and in the case of Steve Irwin, unfortunately fatal.