'Scuse me...I'm having a Dr. Martin Luther King moment

The above posts are about the October ’07 Pacific Blues Cruise. I can rightfully say “ditto” about the cruise just past–the January ’08 offering on the Caribbean. At the Ft. Lauderdale pre-sail party, Captain Roger Naber gave me his blessings to blog away. So, away we go. Dam* the typos; full speed ahead. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Today is Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday. Haven’t gotten much sleep in recent days. Haven’t unpacked or picked up groceries since returning home last night. Seems all I’ve done is filter thru hundreds of emails. The chores will wait. Because today is the day to tell a story about heavenly intervention on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. A new Blues Cruise tradition was born, I believe, when Irma Thomas and friends took the stage on Day 3 for the Gospel Brunch. Ms. Thomas set the bar in the upper cosmos with her inclusiveness and humanity, her inspiration and soul. (More on Ms. Thomas and an elevator experience later.) Blingalicious emcee Jimmy Lynch, tears streaming down his cheeks, took the microphone to pay his homage. You see, Jimmy’s father was a Baptist minister, his mother a Pentecostal one. They were more than contemporaries of Dr. King’s; they were his friends. Jimmy delivered a tribute that was both heart-breaking and heart-healing in its personal experience, profound reverence and eternal hope. The Vista was near capacity. We didn’t rock the house so much as sway it – in unison with our hands holding one another’s tightly, singing We Shall Overcome. I happened to have a seat on the steps leading to the stage, giving me a perfect view of the scene. Even Joe Rosen set down his camera to join hands. Hey, did someone get a pic of that? Joe without his gear…well, glory be. Now, this little New Age Jewish Neo-Pagan girl has participated in a bit of gospel here and there. But this time, this time I tell you, I am here to testify. Sometime later in the day – gonna guess it was around Tommy Castro’s set – I had a Pool Deck moment with Jimmy Lynch. I told him that his tribute touched me like none before. We glistened and gleamed at each other in full afterglow. And then I said, “Dr. King is here on this boat with us right now, you know.” Jimmy’s eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped and we both presented our goose-bumply arms as witness. Testify. Can I get an Amen.