Book Description

Get ready to cast off and cruise down waterways that continually beckon, softly whispering: Come follow me. Come follow me. Travel along the Mississippi and Tennessee Rivers, Norris Lake, the Intracoastal Waterways, and the North Channel to name but a few. Watch diamonds dancing on the water, traverse through towering locks, spend the day swinging on anchor, listen to the chorus of night sounds and ride out a storm or two. In REFLECTIONS ON THE WATER: Traveling the Waterways with God, Jan Boys incorporates visual, mental and written reflections with glimpses into the nautical life. While water surrounds her boat and reflects the world around it, Jan filters the images through her spiritual beliefs constantly looking for the presence of God, seeking to travel the waterways with Him. Based on her boat logs, this book is not only an inland waterway cruise, but a spiritual journey as well. This is not a story to read cover to cover, but a book of reflections and meditations to explore one chapter at a time, as you search and listen for the whisperings of God. Read it leisurely. Follow along on the map. Savor and enjoy each destination. Let these reflections resonate deep within your soul and awaken your senses to the ever-abiding presence of God. ~ ~ ~ Cruise any part of America ́s coastline, inland rivers or lakes and you can ́t help but discover the special meaning natural beauty offers to all of us. Jan Boys, however, takes a very large step beyond the obvious. She borrows from what she wrote in the ship ́s log and her personal journal as she and her husband cruised thousands of miles. Jan reveals and shares with you what she felt about her surroundings and experiences and how she related them to the love and concern God has for all of us. Indeed, with each page, you can almost believe you were there with her as she discovered "reflections" that continue to reassure and comfort her. Most likely, you will remember this book not for the stories but rather for the insights resulting from this writer ́s ability to weave reality, imagination and belief in God into a convincing and compelling reason to see the world differently. Fred Myers, journalist and editor, author of cruising guides for the Tennessee River, Cumberland River and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway ~ ~ ~ Let Jan and Gene guide you through a taste of the travels and adventures of three boats they owned during the last twenty-five years. Cruise with them up and down rivers, across lakes and bays, into canals and locks, on open water crossings, through the Great Lakes, and even into another country. These waterways have many faces: clean or muddy, curious and amusing, depressing and aggravating, or stressful and frightening. Mainly, however, they are peaceful and prayerful, beautiful and breathtaking, majestic and awe inspiring. Yet they remain ever changing and ever beckoning: Come follow me. See what lies around the next bend. ~ ~ ~ This is my Father ́s world; all nature rings and round me sings the music of the spheres. Jan Boys ́ musing of the heart is a song of recognition and gratefulness. Jan sees God ́s hand in every bend of the river. Travel is more than a geography lesson or a cross-cultural experience. It ́s the handiwork of God that inspires and amazes us. This is a walk with God on the waters—a personal psalm of a boater and a believer in touch with the creator. Anyone looking for a sacred passage on America ́s waterways will be both inspired and rewarded. Ron and Eva Stob, founders of America ́s Great Loop Cruisers ́ Association (AGLCA) and co-authors of Honey, Let ́s Get a Boat...