The Rescue

Ok, so I'm following the story of the 16 year old sailor Abby Sunderland pretty closely. I'm intrigued by, and frankly a little nervous about, her whole ordeal. I've read just about every news story there is to read and as one news anchor said earlier today, "yesterday the main stream media had her already dead and buried somewhere in the great unknowns of the Indian Ocean." And today, she sits in the middle of the Indian Ocean, safe, unharmed, and patiently waiting for some big fishing boat to make it out to where she's at because of the damage on her boat.

I've read comment after comment about what poor parents she must have and how they should be charged with negligence and every other kind of negative comment possible after an event such as hers. Personally, I have such a fear of deep water that I'd never even allow the possibility of what she's doing cross my mind, but hey, those are her dreams. I had mine, she has hers.......

One thing that's hard to wrap your brain around is that there is actually a 16 year old in the world that is as responsible as she is. It has to do with the fact that everyone seems to be comparing her to this generation's 16 year olds. And heaven knows, as a general rule, they don't have enough responsibility to shake a stick at. It was less than 4 generations ago, it was commonplace that 13 and 14 year olds were marrying and having babies and maintaining families and lifelong marriages. I know, because my great-grandmother was one of those. Thank GOD I was not one of them. I can't even IMAGINE being married at 18 - much less 13.

Anyway....aside from all of that, one person commented on one of the stories I read and he had a great point. After attempting to calm down the outraged individuals railing about the poor parenting of Abby's parents, he replied,

"These parents taught their children to follow their dream and they did. again KUDOS to them. What can your child do? Make it to level 27 on some video game? Give them a medal. And when they are still living with you at the age of 40 you will know what YOU DID WRONG!!!

Personally, I moved away from home to go to college at the ripe old age of 17. I went to fulfill a dream. I remember more than one night in the little town of Livingston, Alabama running from tornadoes and praying with all my heart and might that God would shield me and protect me. More than once I lay on my bed hoping upon every breath I took that one of those huge pine trees that surrounded my house didn't lean a little too heavy towards my side of the house during those dreadful storms. Because had it done so, I would be dead in a split second. I woke up more than once on bright and sunny mornings with my head buried underneath multiple pillows after falling asleep singing at the top of my lungs to cover the sound of the wind whistling through my old (in bad need of repair) windows of my little cabin. I would remember falling asleep singing Janet Paschal's song, "He's my shelter in the hurricane, He's my peace when the world's insane....that same promise that will NEVER change, He'll cover you through WHATEVER......." And my "whatever" was tornado warnings and tornado sirens, and falling branches, and thumping loose pieces of siding........

After hearing all these people carry on with their negative attitudes about Abby's journey, I have thought long and hard about all of these memories I have just listed.

The truth of the matter is, no matter what dream you head out to fulfill, there is risk in every one. I was just as unsafe in Tornado Alley in Livingston, Alabama at times as Abby is in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The middle of the ocean just happens to be a much more dreadful place to be stuck in the middle of a storm in my meager opinion.....but that's just my opinion. I chose not to go there. And NEVER will. EVER! Unless I'm carried that far by a tornado or hurricane that floats through Savannah and lands me there. By my choice, I will never go! SO, tomorrow sometime or the day after that, I'm looking for Abby to crawl onto her rescue boat and head back home. Until then, she sits there with 2 weeks worth of food and provisions. According to the seasoned sailors, she has handled her situation with great grace and responsibility.

So, when you might get tempted to think in a negative way about this kid's dreams and the way she's fulfilled them....just remember, a college campus can be, and too often is, an even more fatal place to fulfill a dream than a trip around the world passing through a storm in the middle of the Indian Ocean - alone in a boat.

That's just my view on the matter......