Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Wednesday June 22, 2011

The other day a name rushed across a page and triggered a book of memories dating back 46 years. When I hear or read the name Tinkerbelle, Peter Pan comes to mind, but today's Tinkerbelle is altogether different.

Our Tinkerbelle is a 13 1/2 feet long, 37 year old dilapidated sailboat which sold for the enormous sum of $250. It may be the most famous small sailboat in history. The little ship that could.

Robert M. Manry, a copy editor at the "Cleveland Plain Dealer" modified the tiny craft and in 1965 set sail from Falmouth, Mass. He set sail to cross the Atlantic Ocean and 78 days later arrived in Falmouth, Cornwall, England. The story of the crossing is the stuff of legend. It reminded me of "Kon Tiki" a raft captained by Thor Heyerdahl.

Mr. Manry was 47 years old when he set sail with no formal training, but self-taught, managed to reach his goal in spite of being washed overboard, and nearly killed when a surfacing submarine nearly hit Tinkerbelle. He managed to repair the rudder in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. A good read for sure.

So what does this have to do with you?

Perhaps everything, but probably nothing. Consider what Robert Manry said to his wife concerning the voyage:

"There is a time when one must decide either to risk everything to fulfill one's dreams or sit for the rest of one's life in the backyard."
Robert M. Manry

Most if not all human beings have or had at least an "itch" to climb the highest mountain or sail the Seven Seas. The "itch" may be something akin to "Follow the Gleam," a well-known song when I was young and later the "Quest" often called "The Impossible Dream." Myriad are the Christians who dream of "doing something grand for Jesus."

The reality is that we spend our life sitting in the backyard.

Getting out of the backyard is essential to sailing the ocean in a small craft, made by a canoe company, or deciding to give up some time used for life's frivolities to teach a class, write a book, sing in the choir or visit a nursing home or jail.

Who knows just what your big or little dream may be, but Robert M. Manry's statement on fulfilling life dreams bears repeating:

"There is a time when one must decide either to risk everything to fulfill one's dreams or sit for the rest of one's life in the backyard."

Genesis 37:19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2011 Use with Credit.

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