Sail Away

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“And we will sail away on the wings of love into the night;

Cast out our fortunes on the sea…”

    From “Sail Away,” written by Rafe Van Hoy, performed by the Oak Ridge Boys

 

The last of the three triplets left under a dark, starless Glasgow sky shortly before midnight.  She slipped quietly out of her home of the past 14 months and followed her other siblings south to sunnier skies and warmer temperatures.  Like the other girls, she was in somewhat rough shape, both inside and out, and was in dire need of some love and care. The southern coast of Spain offered her a chance to start her life anew.

 

Her other two sisters had left a few days before; one was already in Spain, the other on her way.  A fourth sister, newly adopted to the family, had just arrived in Amsterdam, where she too was eager to begin a new life.

 

None of them were young any more.  None of them would be mistaken for flashy.  But what they lacked in today’s standards of fresh-faced glitziness, they more than made up for in class, sophistication, charm and warm-hearted friendliness.  They had many friends all over the world, and over the years, the sisters had all been responsible for creating moments of joy and laughter, for turning sadness into hope, and making memories that their friends cherished forever.  Most everyone that knew them wanted to come back to visit again and again, to be with them as often as possible.

 

But when a pandemic seized the world, like most of us, they had to stop seeing people.  Three of them made the long slow journey to Scotland where they met up and stayed together for over a year.  They stayed through a summer, a fall, a winter and a spring, and then unbelievably, into yet another summer.  During that time they lost a  parent, and were taken in by another.  Their new sister was adopted.  They huddled together for all those months with just a few people to take care of them. It was cold and lonely, and the rain and other elements washed away some of their beauty. But as the second summer dawned, more and more people started to come around to care for them, first in a trickle, then in droves.  And they started to breathe again, their hearts beginning to beat.

 

Eventually, it was time for the first of them to leave and get well again.  The day was bright and sunny, somewhat unusual for Scotland even in the summer.  The middle sister triumphantly greeted her siblings as she began her journey south to Spain. She dressed in her best and thanked the people of Glasgow for their help as she sailed away down the River Clyde.  Many of them in turn greeted her and wished her well. Her goal was to return to her former elegance; her Quest to be ready to make more memories for her friends.  A week or so later, the second sister left, also in Pursuit of the hope and healing to be found on the Spanish coast.  Two days more and it was time for the remaining one to begin her Journey.  There were no sisters to see the last one off, no fanfare, fewer well-wishers.  She left in the dark, and the night was quiet, but for the cheers and music that could be heard coming from within her.  “Celebrate, good times, come on!” was the anthem of the night.  

 

Soon, the Spanish sunshine and loving care of many people will make all the ladies beautiful again, inside and out. The fourth will get her makeover in Amsterdam.  They will shine and sparkle and gleam. Then they will proudly invite all their friends to come visit again, and they will say, “Welcome Home.”  The sisters will once again help their friends make those memories, turn sadness into joy, bring happiness and laughter.  In return, the friends will restore the sisters’ souls.  And they will move Onward as they "sail away on the wings of love into the night", casting out their fortunes on the sea.  All of them, together.