MILAGRO, my old trawler. copyright by Michael Forbus My old Taiwainese trawler that I lived on for 2 years and renovated all the teak. After some loss in my family, I took a long sabitical to sand and varnish and renovate an old trawler. It was so important to me to work with the wood until it shone and the rails were all smooth as satin. The main salon was carved in Taiwan and all the galley, heads and sleeping quarters were all teak and lovely. I wrote poetry and read philosophy and tried to make my heart happy again. It took a few years of sanding and staining to make the hurt go away but it did and Milagro began to be such an important vessel to me. Every night I slept with the halyards clanging. The gulls screeching and the small waves lapping the hull. I spent all my time making this vessel in shape so that when I walked down the gangplank, she was gleaming. There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. (Albert Einstein) THE NAME OF MY BOAT WAS MILAGRO (MIRACLE)