Thanks

       I’ve done a lot of thinking today about how incredibly blessed I am to be taking this voyage.  This is the experience of a lifetime, and I would not be here if it were not for the love and support of my friends and family.
       So, to everyone who has helped me reach this point in any way, anyone who shopped at our garage sale, kept me in their prayers, passed along advice or words of encouragement, padded my pocketbook, wished me the best, or listened to my excitement and concerns, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. 
       And to my parents, who put up with me on a daily basis, who must surely be very worried about their forgetful, sometimes clueless daughter, who helped me pack at 3 in the morning and then helped me repack the next day, who are paying for this trip, and whose love and support is unparalleled, I can never thank you enough. 
      Thanks, thanks, thanks.  All around.  Thank you God for getting me here safely and keeping me safe, for opening my heart to new cultures and experiences, for keeping me grounded as I travel from one gorgeous, indescribable creation to the next, for introducing me to amazing people on the ship who will surely be dear friends for years to come, for teaching me about His world and about myself, for everything. 
      Had to get that out of my system, onto paper.  Now I have to go study for class.  Oh yeah, class.  Forgot about that for a while…  Somehow I’m making good grades, surely the result of the academic high I had at the beginning of the voyage, but now I need to kick it into gear before we get to Greece and I am entirely drawn into yet another beautiful land and culture. 

Endless thanks,

Bonnie