Columbus Day

Across the unknown waters,
driven by more than wind,
a sailor fixed his course
on a hope he could not see.

Three ships against the dark,
sails taut with purpose,
men who prayed and watched
the stars that never moved.

They carried more than compasses—
they carried the cross,
the word of a Father who commands
the seas and the hearts of men.

When land rose from the deep,
it was not merely earth;
it was a threshold given,
a door the centuries had waited for.

From that first footprint
came a people who would learn
to order liberty under Heaven,
to build what none had built,
to guard what must be guarded.

We remember not only the man,
but the courage that sails
when the horizon offers no promise
except the promise kept by Our HeavenlyFather.

On this day we give thanks
for those who crossed the waters,
for the land they opened,
and for the faith that still calls
ordinary men to extraordinary seas.

Strength and Honor.
'Papa' Dave