Ten Degrees of Reckoning: A True Story of Survival

(Just read this on AOL and wanted to share the comment at the end, especially, with you.)

Ten Degrees of Reckoning: A True Story of Survival

The Sleavin Family

By Michelle Burford

In 1993, the Sleavin family set out on a dream voyage. Santa Clarita, California, residents Michael and Judith Sleavin, along with their two children, Ben and Annie, loaded up their 47-foot sailboat with plans to circumnavigate the globe in five years. Three years into their journey -- around 2 a.m. on November 24, 1995 -- a South Korean cargo ship altered its course by a mere 10 degrees and barreled into the Sleavins' boat just off the coast of New Zealand.

Ben, then age nine, went down with the sailboat; Michael, Judith and Annie scrambled onto a rubber dinghy. They waved and screamed for help from the colliding ship's crew, but instead of throwing them a lifeline, they left the family to perish in the icy, tumultuous seas of the South Pacific. When Annie, then age seven, was swept away in a wave, Michael attempted to swim out and save her. Both Michael and Annie drowned as Judith -- the lone survivor who'd broken her back and fractured her skull -- watched in horror.

Judith Sleavin has never spoken publicly about the horrendous events of that day -- until now. In "Ten Degrees of Reckoning," she describes the joyful moments she shared with her family on their sailboat; what happened in the 44 hours after she witnessed her family's death; and how she eventually found her way to shore, clinging only to a deflated dinghy and the hope that she'd survive long enough to recount the calamity. Sleavin chose her longtime friend and fellow sailor, Hester Rumberg -- the godmother of Judith's daughter, Annie -- to put her story into writing. AOL Health asked Rumberg to reveal how Judith Sleavin has turned an unthinkable loss into a reason to live her life even more fully and deliberately.

[What follows this is a written interview with Rumberg about Judith Sleavin.  But the lesson for us all, I think, is contained in her final paragraph below -- my bolded parts]

I'm a sailor myself, so I've been out at sea, 30,000 or 40,000 miles, and I know that it can be treacherous. I also know that the day-to-day challenges can be just as treacherous. Our little moments, those little celebrations -- they're not so little. When you have a conversation with someone, and the connection fills you with glee, that's not a small thing. I don't know why we're so infatuated with the thought that we have to wait to live well -- wait until we have more time, more money or even a partner. Every day, we can love whoever is in our lives. We can tell people how we feel about them. We can learn to be as hopeful as Judy is. She's one of the most optimistic people I know, even in the face of injustice and tragedy. She has decided that if she doesn't live joyfully, it would be a betrayal to the way she asked her family to live. That's why I think she's a hero for our times.

Inching Forward

Question:  Remembering my post of a few days ago, you may be wondering where is all that vegan/vegetarian cooking I was going to embark upon?

Answer:  Still in the cookbooks.


But this morning I went out to find some of the ingredients I will need to make marinated, grilled tofu; wasabi mashed potatoes; chipotle, corn and black bean stew; "Fronch" toast;  olive, tomato and millet-stuffed zucchini; tofu dill salad sammiches; baked cajun french fries; roasted brussels sprouts with toasted garlic;  horseradish and coriander-crusted tofu and more...  (I think those sound yummy....you don't?)

I was steeled for a frustrating experience (as I've endured in the past, searching for not-the-usual ingredients) but today's trip turned out to be a breeze!  Most of what I needed I easily located in the Asian section of aisle two in Publix:  tamari, mirin, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, Asian chili sauce, wasabi powder.

For the first time ever I also bought fresh ginger, and promptly came home to research online how best to store it (zip lock bag in crisper).

So, I've got the cast iron skillet, sauce pan and baster, the recipes, and now some of the ingredients.  Tonight (or maybe tomorrow) I cook!

(Stay tuned..................)

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

We've had a cold snap here that, I've been told, is rather unusual for the Panhandle, especially at this time of year.  It has been in the high 40's and cold!  Normally, back in Chicagoland, this wouldn't be very cold to me, but either I'm acclimating to Florida winters or it was just a very "wet" cold (or maybe because I think "Hey, this is Florida" so I don't wear a coat?  Think that could be why?!)

Today, after snuggling under the clouds for a few days, the sun came out and I drove to the beach.

Imagine swimming in the ocean in 50 degree weather!  Not me, but them.....(click photos to enlarge)

Surprised Kitty

By now, surely you have seen this, as it is rampaging the internet....but on the chance you haven't, be prepared to see 17 seconds of the cutest "surprised kitty" you've ever seen!

A Walk Through Sandestin

As I've walked through the different neighborhoods and areas of Sandestin, I've snapped some photos, but not nearly enough to paint an accurate picture of the entire grounds.  Be that as it may, here is a "flavor" of the resort in November (click any photo to enlarge):

Starting off from my neighborhood

Unsung Heroes

Little notes written to encourage someone to keep their chin up, to remind them that God hasn't forgotten them.  And neither have you.

Long, boring hours beside a hospital bed, holding the hand and whispering into the ear of a dying grandmother who may not even know you're in the room.

An hour-long, nonsensical Barbie adventure with your four-year-old (complete with your own falsetto voices) even though you were just fifty pages away from tying up the loose ends of a good mystery novel.

Great people in God's eyes are the ones...who are willing to be faithful when it doesn't show, humble when it doesn't profit, and unafraid to say no to their own self-will...

They will know the joy of sharing a kind word, the pleasure of buying someone a cup of coffee.  They will come to know quicker than the rest of us what life is all about.  Life is in the little things.

(Reprinted from The One Minute Bible)

A Quiet Day

Whoa.  Under 50 degrees all day and this is Florida?  The locals tell me it happens, but isn't usual in winter.  I guess I'll find out.

It was mostly an inside day, with one trip out into the world, just to beat any case of the lonelies that could've arisen had I not ventured out amongst the peeps.

What an exciting afternoon.  Here's where I ended up:

Olive Garden.

For soup and salad.

(And a piece of Tuxedo pie to bring home....yum)