"How Can I Help?"

Ta-daaaa! I just finished filling out my online reservations for the 4-Night Bask in the Bahamas Cruise I’m hosting on July 12. After one (long) call to our travel agent and two calls to online technical support, I actually managed to do it (sort of) all by myself. Yesterday I didn’t think that would happen.

I was deep into the production of Guideposts' special edition of The Joys of Christmas 2010, and trying to keep things moving on the Angels on Earth Sept/Oct issue, when I got an urgent email from our travel agent: No more procrastinating! We sail in three weeks!

I logged onto the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line website and started reading and rereading the directions because I wasn’t really concentrating and didn’t want to be bothered with this stuff. Then I got to the part that warned there would be a time limit for security reasons, I think. I had 30 minutes to register me and my girls, or I’d be automatically logged out! I had to have all the information at my fingertips. Reservation number, airline tickets, emergency contact info, passports—

Passports?! Shoot, we’d gotten them, at least, but they were at home.

I complained to our editorial assistant, Andrea Craig, on the elevator this morning. “Now I have to start all over.” She should have said, “And good morning to you too, Colleen.” But she didn’t.

“How can I help?”

Her attitude brought me up short. She’d already booked my plane reservations for this trip! “I think I can handle it, Andrea. But thanks for the offer.” It was just the help I needed. And from someone who really is an angel every day.