Saying Goodbye

So I finally got the courage to watch the"Deadliest Catch" episode in which Captain Phil goes Home.

It was beautiful--Jake finds his strength and goes to rehab, Josh steps up to the Harris legacy in a conversation with his father that made a lot of people cry, and Jonathon Hillstrand shows the world who he truly is. There are instances that bring the truth out of people, and to see one of the frat boys from the Time Bandit become a pillar of support for an old friend's sons kinda blew my mind.
I hope the Russell issue doesn't dog Jon for the rest of his career on the boat--indeed I find myself wondering if he's planning on returning to the TB at all. If he does, he needs to be there for Scott, who seems to be more and more like his uncle every episode (minus the hair plugs. Andy Hillstrand, you do not need to be looking like Donald Trump!) This show has become less about the job and more about the men on the boats. They are no longer strangers on an icy sea.

But I didn't shed a tear. Maybe because I know how it feels to be on the edge of life and death, and how simple it would have been to slip over that line and into eternity. It was a strange kinship, knowing that the same thing that almost took me was the thing that claimed the Captain, and I was expecting to be shattered by this episode. What I felt instead was so much pride in and love for the Harris brothers, because when it comes to it you have to be strong enough to let go.
I think Phil knew all along that he was ready to go, he just wanted to go back to the sea in his heart and having the boys there would have distracted him from his crossing. God bless you, Captain Harris. You will always be on the sea, and your memories will be part of the sky.

I'll let Freddie, my new hero and sage, take us out...