Old and Faithful Ships

What is this strange and fleeting thing we call life? Is it not merely a vessel cast upon an endless sea? From this we know but one certainty: that one day, when the hour arrives, we shall surrender ourselves to the waves and vanish into the deep.

Yet here we are; two old and faithful friends, long companions upon the same journey. And how often has your hand reached out across the waters to steady mine own ship when the winds grew harsh? Your friendship has been a harbor when I was weary, a guiding star when the skies grew dark.

Let us not speak of parting, but rather let us continue this voyage together. May our two ships remain near one another for many years. How empty and silent would these waters become were one of us suddenly absent from the other.

May the seas before us be gentle, may the winds favor our sails, and above all may the sun continue to shine upon us. This blessing I ask for myself, I ask also for you. And though my gratitude possesses no power to command the heavens, nor to soften the storms that may come, I offer it nonetheless with all sincerity; for a grateful heart has no greater gift than the wish that its companion may find fair skies and peaceful waters.

May we sail onward, my friend, with courage in our hearts and light upon the waves, until the final shore calls us home.