Final Thoughts

So this wonderful trip is over.

Other than Debbie and Theresa, none of us had ever spent more than a night or two together since we were children.  We had some issues that we had to navigate: expectations, needs, personalities, experience and physical capabilities.

During the final dinner on board, Dad proposed that we go to dinner when we arrive back in Pickering as a wrap up to our journey.  We unanimously and enthusiastically declined. A couple reasons: we’d just spent more time together than most families have ever done and were ready to part ways; and we knew we’d be tired after 12, 16, 18? hours of travelling and just want to be home.  However, we all suggested that we get together in one week for that dinner.  That time will give us a chance to recover, to process the trip and we’ll be ready to talk about our favourite parts.

Dad gave us an opportunity to see a part of the world that I had never and may never have experienced.  It was extensive and at times overwhelming. 

Although only a few days post trip, I have already started to process it and my feelings are morphing a bit.  I saw 8 European countries that I knew nothing about.  While in the midst of the journey, I was at times less than enthusiastic, an all-inclusive river cruise is not my style of travel.  However, what I came to appreciate was that it’s kind of like a hop-on, hop-off bus tour; if you only have little time in a new city, these types of tours give you an opportunity to see the highlights and then you can decide where you’d like to return and spend some time.   I will definitely add Croatia, Hungary and Austria to my ever-growing bucket list.  Next time I’ll rent a motorcycle and spend 2-3 weeks touring so that I can dig deeper into these beautiful countries.  The other thing that I discovered about a river cruise is that you have just enough room to get away from each other, but not enough to get too far 😊

This is what I have come to appreciate about my family:

Debbie:  A deep love for all of us and driven to do her best to ensure that everyone’s needs were met, especially Dad’s.

Mike: A quiet but strong anchor to Debbie, watching everyone, taking it all in and commenting, generally only to the person beside him, with such wit that you don’t always get it at first.

Theresa: A beautiful, enthusiastic, eager participant in all available activities who laughs a lot and has no problem expressing herself.

Richard: The silly, positive, smiling man that quietly and gamely participates in every activity and responds to any of Theresa’s needs.

David: The renegade of the group. A man that is very self-aware and able to establish boundaries; there are necessary traits for the person that shares his stateroom and home with his father. He always smiles and laughs and can easily poke fun at himself.

Chris: A quiet, very quiet man who, like his brother, knows what he needs and sticks to it.  We’ve always known that he’s a strong man, but only recently have I seen his softer, loving side. I love that.

Stephanie:  It takes a courageous woman to sign on for this trip, with this group.  She did it with a smile at all times and yet also seemed to feel comfortable choosing where to participate and where to do her own thing.

Gus: The logistics officer of the group.  Always doing things quietly behind the scenes to make things flow cohesively.  An Ever-Ready bunny that started every day with 2 fitness classes and didn’t stop until bedtime.  He squeezed everything he could out of each activity.  I could go on and on, but I will simply say that I am thankful beyond words for his support; this blog and photo gallery couldn’t have happened without him. 

Dad:  Maybe it’s strange that I would list him last, but he is the foundation of this.  He centered us at the end of every day with a spot at the table and an opportunity for each of us to offer our own reflection of Mom.

His strength in this trip was not surprising because that’s who he is.  He continues to teach his kids.

His eagerness to engage personally with as many people as possible resulted in so many other guests reaching out to us saying how much they enjoyed meeting and talking to him, one who told us that Dad was the highlight of this trip for him.  He hugged so many people, even kissed a few of them.  He really connected with the staff and at the end of the journey gave many of them a personal thank-you note with a token of appreciation.

Words will never be enough to tell him what this trip has meant to all of us.  We will talk about it for years.  He gave us one more thing to tie us together and for that Mom would have been thrilled.  I am thrilled.

Thank you, Dad.  I love you and I love my family.

Next up....  Bike trip to Alaska!!    Excited beyond words.    August 2 can't come soon enough!   

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