Jellyfish

Dear Cardinals,Did I ever tell you about the time I went kayaking in Ha Long Bay in Vietnam?

In 2009, I travelled to Vietnam as part the Habitat for Humanity Global Village program to build houses for families in need.  Prior to the start of building two houses, I took the opportunity to explore Vietnam and Cambodia.  Part of that exploration included a cruise on Ha Long Bay.  Three of us ventured out to spend a night on a boat on the Bay.  It was an incredible experience.  In the morning, my friend Cheryl and I got off the boat and into kayaks to do more exploring of the caves and lagoons.  It was such a great experience until… we got back to the boat and had to get out of the kayak.

You should know that back then that I was not someone who has a lot of upper body strength (by the way I still don’t have any).  I essentially had to hold on to the boat and pull myself out of the kayak.  I was having a lot of difficulty.  My friend Cheryl was able to get out without a problem, but I struggled so much that the kayak was tipping over.  Picture it, my hands on the boat and my legs and feet in kayak which was almost tipped over.  The captain and my friend tried to help, but I really thought I could do it myself. 

It was at that point the boat captain told me that the Bay was filled with jellyfish. What????!!!!!! Jellyfish????!!!!???   Let me tell you, I don’t know where my upper body strength came from, but I got it together with the quickness and pulled myself up and into the boat. Here are my messages to you this week:

Help is always there, but you must be willing to ask for it, accept it and use it  AND most importantly you are stronger than you think! 

Cardinals, welcome back from Spring Break and here’s to cruising into

• 43 days (excluding holidays and weekends) until your take your final exam for the Spring 2026 semester!
• 46 days until Commencement! and
• 137 days until the first day of Fall 2026 semester!