Dearest Eliana and Gehrig,
Good morning, my sweethearts. It will be just five short days until we see
you again and we can hardly wait. Your
Grandma Vicki and I have been cruising up inside the Arctic Circle and got to
within about six miles of the Polar Ice Cap at about 82° latitude.
We have heard some people on this ship describe this part of the world
as desolate and barren. We have even
heard a few call it ugly. I
disagree. I think it has a unique stark
beauty all its own and shows the power of nature in very specific ways. The glaciers carved this land into majestic
jagged peaks and low, mist covered valleys, deep gorges and ravines with
perpetual snow caps, all bathed in subdued light from the low hanging sun
filtered through overcast skies.
Now desolate and barren are valid descriptions even though
those words belie the beauty. But
ugly? How can two people see the same
thing and one describe it as barren and ugly and another see it as magnificent
natural wonder?
Yesterday, we spent a wonderful, sun-filled day in
Tromso. This university town is sprawled
over nearly 1000 square miles on the mainland and islands of Norway . With only about 60,000 people, it is not that
large, population-wise, just spread out.
The town is surrounded with high, snow-capped mountains and is in its
lush green summer period. Wildflowers
were all around and the houses are painted in gay colors. We took the cable car or tram up to the top
of Mt. Storsteinen
Eleventh Pearl : A
Positive Attitude is Worth Its Weight in Gold
Most of the people on this ship can afford to travel
anywhere they want to go in the world.
They have the wherewithal to travel in total luxury. But, every once in a while you run into one
of these privileged people who, despite all their gold, are literally wasting
their money because they view their discoveries through negative eyes. They concentrate on small, insignificant
details and miss the beauty all around them.
Shoot, I would have gone up that mountain in a wheel barrel for the
opportunity to see that view.
Some people always see the glass as half empty while others see
it as half full. It is about looking at
the world through positive eyes with a full heart. Grandma and I hope that someday we can take
you to some of the fabulous places we have seen. We hope you are instilled with a sense of
wonder at our fabulous planet and one day, when you have the resources of your
own, continue to travel and explore and discover. When you do that, my advice would be to spend
your gold wisely and make the first thing you pack be your positive
attitude. In fact, keep it with you
always. You will be the happier for it.
See you on Saturday, my darlings, but until then God Bless
you both.
Grandpa Jud
