Sailing on the Galilee

I sailed on the Galilee! At long last. Awhile back I was sitting on the beach Jesus grilled fish at during a post-resurrection appearance to the disciples. A Nigerian group there was splashing water from the Galilee on their faces; one of them asked me if I had touched it. Holy water...I was so startled! Sacred water had never occurred to me. After they left I splashed Galilean seawater on my face too, but my heart missed out on the miracle of it.

I was sitting on the old rock pier yesterday, hoping to find a tour group I could tag along with, when a worker asked what I was doing. 'Oh, we're going in 15 minutes, circling and coming back to the same place. You can come with us for free.' Perfect! So I talked to his daughter for a bit, she's 22, really sweet.

I waited a couple hours but the group never showed. After showing her my pictures, seeing hers and talking about Israeli religion and politics, I started freaking about not getting more writing done the day before I left.

It was my social day. I'm sitting on the rocks writing when a nice Irish guy walks up and says hi, asks me what I'm doing or something, I forget. Turns out it's the same thing he's doing - and he's talked to the manager and done all the leg work. Lucky me! So an hour, soda and chocolate bar later I set sail.

It was an American group, they were really sweet. I was kind of anti-social, it was my last day and I wanted to scribble everything possible and everything impossible. Finally I finished scrawling and moved on to meditation: Jesus calming these waters, treading upon these waves. I struggled hard, but it was futile until I realized Jesus must have spent a lot of daily grind time in boats that sailed this sea. He laughed, grew tired, cried and hugged on boats like this.

I wonder how much comfort He took from these shores? Did He lose Himelf in their beauty when rejection cut Him to the core? Did He sit by them at night, listening to waves lapping, praying for strength to get through the day?

My revelation was interrupted mid-sentence, and I chatted with this sweet lady from Michigan until we got back, whereupon I dashed to the Bethsaida ruins. I'd been itching to get their all day - a fisherman's house preserved!

I also saw the ruins of Bethsaida today.