As an officer onboard, I would like to send out holiday wishes to our friends and families back home. We all wish everyone a safe and warm holiday season. While the sun is barely shining in the mass ocean line, many sailors, myself, and other officers, had the true joy of enjoying some holiday cheer both up top and in the galley. After a hard day at work, we will all be enjoying a wonderful Christmas dinner at the galley. Many thanks to USO for providing the wonderful resources to ensure sailors and officers alike are enjoying the holidays best we can while at sea. 

As I have mentioned before, when your day starts by the sight of the sweetest faces in the world, the mass stress and worries may just temporary disappear. As I am typing this, a picture of my wife and Devin stares back at me. Devin, who was barely five, had the shine on his face during his "first" Christmas. The joy and smile on his face while opening his presents is priceless. You can truly see the joy and peacefulness in them both. As the years traveled, every Christmas seemed to bring some sort of surprises from Devin.

Most memorable Christmas Eve was when Devin was just eight years old. Extremely sick from chemotherapy and radiation, Devin asked for a family prayer before heading off to bed. The young boy talked to God as if He was his best friend, giving my wife quite the tears later on that night. "God, thank you for letting Dad come home, thank you for Mommy and Dad and everyone in my family. Thank you for Christmas and thank you for making me better every day, I'm going to make you proud and be big and strong someday. I've been a good boy this year, tell Santa to hurry up and get here and I got milk and cookies for him! Please bless Mommy and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa and everyone and make them healthy too. Good night, God and Jesus and Mary and everyone else. Santa's going to be here soon!"

May the innocence of children never fade away. Missing you this Christmas my son, stay warm and keep your mother safe. Merry Christmas to all and again, a happy new year.

God Bless, 
Buzz