July 1, 2021 (Thursday)\
My dear friend, Dale Pogue, and I have something in common: we are both 89 years old.
And we have something else in common these days: we are both “under the weather.”
When I wrote the words, “under the weather,” I wondered about that expression–where did it come from? So I looked it up and discovered it is a nautical term that described a sick crewman or passenger on board a ship. They were sent to the deepest part of the vessel, well below the main deck, where the rolling of the ship was not as pronounced and where it was relatively quiet. They were “under the weather.”
When I saw the word, “nautical,” I asked myself does that word have anything to do with the word, “naughty?” So I looked it up, too. Well, you may already know the answer: “No.” “Naughty” comes from “naught,” “a variation of “aught,” which means “nothing” or “zero.” A naughty individual was a person who was “needy, having nothing.” By 1520 it came to mean ‘wicked, evil, morally wrong,” but changed over the next 100 years to mean “disobedient,” but it still sometimes used to describe immoral behavior. Since I am “under the weather” today, I’m glad to discover that “naughty” and “nautical” have nothing to do with each other.
“Under the weather” usually means a mild illness that will pass in due time. But for Dale and me, it is more than that. He is experiencing complications resulting from surgery and I am still struggling, with the doctors’ help, with low blood pressure and rapid pulse. Both of us have been in the hospital more than once this time around, and doctors have been having difficulty diagnosing and treating us. Both of us are being helped by home nurses and physical therapists.
I’m sure you know what it’s like to be “under the weather,” and how good it feels to get well and back on deck where you belong. Dale and I are looking forward to reporting for duty (getting well).
SHIP AHOY!
Author: Mary J. Cartwright
Tune: Daniel Brink Towner
1889
1. I was drifting away on life’s pitiless sea,
And the angry waves threatened my ruin to be,
When away at my side, there I dimly descried,
A stately old vessel, and loudly I cried:
Ship ahoy! Ship ahoy!
And loudly I cried: Ship ahoy!
2. ’Twas the old ship of Zion, thus sailing along,
All aboard her seemed joyous, I heard their sweet song;
And the captain’s kind ear, ever ready to hear,
Caught my wail of distress, as I cried out in fear:
Ship ahoy! Ship ahoy!
As I cried out in fear: Ship ahoy!
3. The good captain commanded a boat to be low’red,
And with tender compassion He took me on board;
And I’m happy today, all my sins washed away
In the blood of my Savior, and now I can say:
Bless the Lord! Bless the Lord!
From my soul I can say: Bless the Lord!
4. O soul, sinking down ’neath sin’s merciless wave,
The strong arm of our captain is mighty to save;
Then trust Him today, no longer delay,
Board the old ship of Zion, and shout on your way:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Shout and sing on your way: Jesus saves!
Adapted from 3/31/15 blog-song added
Musical Score for Ship Ahoy