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| Big Blue Faith, Turner Marine, Mobile, AL |
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| Marsha & Tom West at Turner Marine Wednesday Night Pot Luck Dinner |
We met Marsha on one of our dock walks. She invited us in for coffee but we were in a hurry and had to take a rain check. We wanted to get to know them better and hear their story. Not necessarily the accident story; more the story of their lives. We wanted to know where they found the strength to survive and to understand how they kept their spirit strong and their dream alive even after a life changing accident. Unfortunately, they left Turner Marine for a trip home to Indiana. Both of them struggling with health issues.
We were lucky to have the opportunity to meet up with Tom and Marsha when we returned to Mobile the end of March. They had just returned to the Marina as well. Marsha explained that they left in a rush after she was diagnosed with cancer, her second unrelated bout! Like many of the women I have met on this journey, she is my cancer sister! Marsha underwent major surgery and radiation treatments while she was home. I told her that she and Tom had been through the ringer with his accident and her illness. She looked at me and calmly replied, "That's just how life is!"
Tom tells us his goal is to take this lovely yacht, Faith, and go cruising. He said that he didn't build her to have her sit in a marina. He wants to sail; in spite of the accident. Tom and Marsha are an inspiration. They are a reminder that this thing we do, living aboard our boat, is not always easy. It can be challenging and, at times, dangerous. Like others we've met along the way, we learned from them that your cup is either half full or it's not. Tom says he made several mistakes on the day of his accident. He's gone over that day hundreds of times. He's often thought, if only I could go back. But in life, we can't change the past. We can only learn from it. When times get tough we have to dig deep into our bag of experiences and make decisions based on what we know. Sometimes, we just have to have faith that things will work out in the end. When our journey gets tough and our confidence waivers, we will look back and remember Tom and Marsha and, hopefully, find a bit of our own Faith!
We've had several great conversations with Tom and Marsha since our return to Mobile. During one of our conversations, Tom and I shared original quotes on life.
Tom tells us his goal is to take this lovely yacht, Faith, and go cruising. He said that he didn't build her to have her sit in a marina. He wants to sail; in spite of the accident. Tom and Marsha are an inspiration. They are a reminder that this thing we do, living aboard our boat, is not always easy. It can be challenging and, at times, dangerous. Like others we've met along the way, we learned from them that your cup is either half full or it's not. Tom says he made several mistakes on the day of his accident. He's gone over that day hundreds of times. He's often thought, if only I could go back. But in life, we can't change the past. We can only learn from it. When times get tough we have to dig deep into our bag of experiences and make decisions based on what we know. Sometimes, we just have to have faith that things will work out in the end. When our journey gets tough and our confidence waivers, we will look back and remember Tom and Marsha and, hopefully, find a bit of our own Faith!
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| Our friends, Marsha & Tom West |
We've had several great conversations with Tom and Marsha since our return to Mobile. During one of our conversations, Tom and I shared original quotes on life.
"Society sucks the life out of living!"
Tom West
"The grass is always greener on the other side but sometimes
we have to stop and appreciate the shade we've been blessed with!"
Beth Rogers
I truly enjoyed reading this blog entry. (I loved them all). You touched on a serious subject regarding safety. Tom was very fortunate to have Marsha at his side. As a solo sailor every decision I make I deliberately ask myself will this action cause bodily harm. I run mental scenarios of all the possible mistakes and errors. Mostly from personal experiences but also from fellow sailors who recount details of their brush with death. I remind myself daily Mickey, my boat cat is incapable of dialing 911. Your stories are a valuable resource, Beth. Keep up your wonderful work. Fair winds and gentle seas. Henry aboard the Sea Marie.
ReplyDeleteThank you Henry! It's a sobering thought when we face safety and mortality in the people we meet! We all strive to be as careful as possible but accidents do happen! You be careful out there, my friend!
ReplyDelete"And sometimes you have to step out into the sunshine and let it warm your heart." -Leslie McCormick
ReplyDeleteMarsha and Tom have made their lives what they want them to be. That is a grand thing. As Henry says, Fair winds and gentle seas, to all the sailors at sea and those navigating the shoals of life ashore.
Hugs!
(Golly! This entry has made philosophers of us all today. ;-) )
P.S. Faith is a beautiful, beautiful boat. I hope she gets to set sail and to fulfill the promise she represents to Marsha and Tom. All blessings to them.
ReplyDeleteLove your quote leemikcee! Your cup is at least half full! Life is good!
ReplyDeleteWay back when I lived in Centerpoint, I met the two of you, as you were in the process of building Faith. I heard of the accident, and have to admit it rattled me, as it's been my dream for years also. But here I am reading of your recovery, and it's great to see! Maybe I can still get myself a small sailor and head for Mobile...if my dream is realised, you'll be seeing me. I'm Randy Kline, or Col. Klink.
ReplyDelete@Unknown (Randy Kline), thank you for reading this post about our friends Tom and Marsha aboard sailing vessel Faith. I think Tom would say, "follow your dream". We've never regretted our decision to cruise. Had we not followed OUR dream we would not have learned of the story of Faith! I wish you luck in making YOUR dream happen!
ReplyDeleteI met Tom and Marsha in Poland, IN while he was finishing the rough build. I've sailed the Great Lakes much of my life, but had just accepted a job in Terre Haute, IN the furthest I'd ever lived from water. I was driving through Poland looking for a home near a reservoir. There I saw the most amazing steel boat under construction on a tennis court and the old guy the locals called "Noah" doing some welding. Tom was very gracious and spent more than an hour showing me his progress and talking about systems. I remember pointing out that he didn't have any drain holes in his anchor locker nor any plumbing for washing out the chain. He had the most ingenious designs I had ever seen on a boat, yet had forgotten something so simple because he had never actually been on the water. I have since googled him whenever I need a little inspiration. Devastated to hear about his accident, I am very grateful for this post and to hear he is still living his dream. Go team West!
ReplyDelete@Unkown Tom and Marsha are an inspiration to us as well. They view life as an adventure and live each day to the fullest. We visited them in Mobile last April and were delighted to see that they were still on board. Faith is docked at Turner Marine on Dog River. It was wonderful seeing them again. Thank you for reading our post about Faith! Beth & Dave Rogers
ReplyDeleteI am sad to sat our beloved Tom West passed away last evening. He was a dear friend of ours meeting him the day he arrived at Turner Marine. He will be missed.
ReplyDeleteThis is very sad news; did he catch covid?
Delete@Second Wind - We are so sorry to hear this news. We spent a bit of time with Tom and Marsha at Turner's and enjoyed them greatly. Thank you for sharing. Tom will be remembered fondly!
ReplyDelete