An Unexpected Kindness

And just like that, we went from six to four, and then four to two.

Very early in the morning, son #1 and son #2 headed off to the airport to begin their journey home. It was hard to say goodbye after spending so much time together, but our travels weren’t quite over yet.

A short while later, the two of us were on our way to the airport as well, leaving Malta behind and flying to Barcelona to begin the final leg of our trip. We have just embarked on a 17-day Transatlantic cruise that will take us all the way to Galveston, Texas.

While we will miss having the boys with us, we are looking forward to meeting up with dear friends who will be making the crossing with us. We don’t get to see them nearly as often as we would like, so having 17 days together is something to look forward to.

Before we leave our time with the family behind, though, I want to share a little story about our daughter-in-law and her first cruise.

I have to admit that I was a little unsure how she would enjoy cruising. She hasn’t done a lot of travelling outside of North America, and I wondered how she would take to the experience. As it turned out, I needn’t have worried!

She embraced the cruise and every port we visited with an enthusiasm that sometimes surpassed the rest of us. It was wonderful to see her enjoying it all so much.

One of the things she particularly enjoyed on the ship was the art gallery. She went to every event they offered, participated in their scavenger hunt, met other art enthusiasts, and sat through the presentations and auctions. She absolutely loved it.

On our final evening of dinner in the main dining room, son #3 told us that they would be a little late because they were doing something special for her. How sweet!

When they finally joined us, they shared what had happened. One of the art collectors our daughter-in-law had gotten to know through the gallery events had noticed a piece of art that she had fallen in love with. The collector decided to purchase it for her and have it shipped to their home.

Her comment to our daughter-in-law was that she hoped this would be the first of many pieces they would collect together over their lifetime.

What a wonderful and unexpected gesture!

It struck me how special it was that two people who had only recently met on a cruise ship could connect over a shared interest, and that this brief encounter could mean so much to both of them. For our daughter-in-law, it was a thoughtful gift that would always remind her of her first cruise. For the collector, it was an opportunity to share something she loved with someone who appreciated it just as much.

It was such a generous gesture, and a lovely reminder that sometimes the most memorable parts of travelling aren't the places we visit, but the people we meet along the way.