A/N: A closing chapter on the 1972 movie "The Poseidon Adventure".

Sacrifice

The older man walked up and stood behind a podium in front of the small group of people. He had a small piece of paper in front of him, but as he looked out over the audience he showed no signs of nervousness at public speaking. His body seemed at ease, but the look on his face was somber. "As some of you may know, Friday is New Year's Day. Each of us has sacrificed something during the past year; some have gone without to pay for emergencies, some have forsaken favorite activities to donate time to others, and I know from personal experience of at least one person that gave up his seat on a bus for a passenger that was expecting - any minute, from the look of it." He smiled at this last comment, and there were a few chuckles in the audience.

"Some people have given up careers for family. On the end of the spectrum, others have been called away by their jobs to distant lands, leaving behind family and friends. I know of one young man among you who gave up a whole month of his Saturdays to work and earn enough money for a date with a girl. There are many others that, for obvious medical reasons I won't belabor, are forced to stay home instead of going about their normal lives. Sacrifices can come in many forms, but it boils down to giving up something in order to have or to give to someone else. We all know how it feels to give something up, but before we start the new year I want to give you an idea about the effect it has on others."

The speaker shifted his weight and continued. "Many years ago - it's been close to fifty now - there was a tragic accident at sea. An ocean liner, the U.S.S. Poseidon by name, was making a last trip to Greece before being scrapped. The details of what caused the capsizing of the ship aren't relevant to my message today; the important part is that of the many passengers on board, a small group of ten people fought their way through fear, water and fire to escape the sinking ship. Of those only six made it out alive - the sole survivors of the event. And those six would not have made it without the sacrifice of the Reverend Frank Scott, who undertook action with certain death to give his life so that they could survive. I would like to tell you about the six, and about Reverend Scott in the process."

"Manny Rosen was a retired shopkeeper who was traveling with his wife Belle to Israel to meet his grandchild for the first time. As many parents do, they had made sacrifices over the years to raise their family and were now enjoying the golden years of their lives. The toll of making a living now longer weighing upon them, they looked forward to welcoming the newest generation to the family. They traveled with the survivors, following the leadership of Reverend Scott as they faced hardship and peril. At one point, Belle had to use her old swimming skills to save the life of the Reverend and the others; the strain was too much and she passed away from a heart attack after the successful effort. Manny vowed to stay with the body of his wife when the ship sank, but the Reverend convinced him that he still had a life to live and her sacrifice should not be in vain - he had family that still counted on him. That gave Manny the motivation to make it out at the end. His children and grandchildren enjoyed his presence for many years to come."

"Nonnie Parry was a young singer, who with her brother Teddy performed on the ship during its voyage; with free spirits and empty pockets they traded their performance for passage. They were very close, but when the ship capsized her brother was one of the passengers killed when the liner turned over. James Martin, an older bachelor, normally wouldn't have the courage to speak to a beautiful young woman; his life was dealing in men's accessories and any interaction with the fairer sex was as a salesman. However, the circumstances gave him the courage to speak to the younger woman to convince her to join them on their quest to survive and to keep going when the going got tough." The speaker paused and reached for a bottle of water to drink.

"Did they survive?" someone asked from several rows back. The sound could be heard of them being shushed by another; while normally the audience would have laughed, they did not this time - they were riveted with the story they hadn't heard from this speaker before.

"Yes, they both did; she drew on his maturity and drive, while he drew on her youth for strength. Neither would have made it if not for the help of a waiter by the name of Acres. He was instrumental in helping the group navigate their way out of a sure watery tomb, despite being hobbled by a leg broken in the capsizing. Acres was lost as he led them towards the rescue point, but they wouldn't have made it without his guidance. Mr. Martin passed on a few years ago, but Nonnie often tells her grandchildren about how she met their grandfather on an ill-fated cruise."

"A detective, Lieutenant Mike Rugo, was traveling with his life Linda. Although sometimes described as crude and rough, the lieutenant was still a man with a heart; and that heart beat for his wife, the true light of his life. He probably would never even considered the trip but for the desire of his wife to travel. Unfortunately, during one of the many explosions that rocked the ship during their escape, she fell from a great height and perished. Understandably, Mr. Rugo was shocked by the sudden loss - a loss that quickly turned to anger as he blamed the Reverend for the death. After venting his anger and rage, he collapsed in grief while the others attempted to continue. Their way was blocked, and the Reverend made the decision to remove the obstacle at the cost of his own life. Before he perished, he urged Mr. Rugo to lead the rest on. A lesser man might have been unable to move, but great leaders can summon the will to do what must be done. Mr. Rugo grudgingly accepted the last request of the Reverend and led the group the rest of the way to the rescue point. Mr. Rugo finally accepted that the Reverend did the right thing, and he had been wrong; that realization helped him deal with this anger and several charitable organizations told stories at his funeral in 2002 of his volunteer work in his last years."

"A brother and sister are part of this story; Susan and Robin Shelby. Susan was a typical teenage girl, and her younger brother was what you'd expect of a precocious pre-teen. She was old enough to be appointed his guardian on the trip while they traveled to meet their parents, but still young enough to be impressionable and emotional as so many young people are. The two stuck together and joined the survival group, and I'm sure their youth served them well for the ordeal they faced. What Susan wasn't prepared for was how she came to feel about the Reverend. He was charismatic and full of life, traits that naturally drew her to him in the short time of the disaster. It can be argued that there might have been a bit of Stockholm Syndrome involved or even a little hero worship, but that serves to dismiss what surely were strong feelings by Susan regardless of their origin. Whatever the case might have been, when the Reverend sacrificed himself it took a great effort to keep Susan from joining him in his fiery plunge. In an odd twist, she never did marry; she said that no man could measure up to the man that gave his life so she could live."

"Which brings us to her brother. By far the youngest of the group, he was like typical boys of that age - curious, impulsive and at least a little antagonistic to his sister. The event changed that, though; not surprisingly, the little boy that the parents had known prior to the trip was gone. When they were finally reunited, they met one matured by the experience as he now felt an obligation to watch out for his sister, one that had only been an inkling of a feeling before; he saw the sense of loss she experienced, and vowed to be the big brother she hadn't had."

"In Reverend Scott, Robin had met a kindred spirit. The reverend was on the cruise because he had been assigned to a mission in Africa as a punishment for his somewhat unconventional approach to faith. No child of privilege, the reverend's philosophy of 'The Lord helps those who help themselves' was born out of his rising from poor beginnings. He was sure that God gave us the tools to use, but it was up to us to actually take them in hand and make something better for ourselves and others. This was no better exemplified than immediately after the capsizing; he defied the reasoning of the ship's Bursar to stay in the ballroom and wait for help, instead opting to seek a safer and logical way out. He tried to convince others to join him, but ultimately it was each individual's decision to go or stay. By the time the others realized the folly of their decision, it was too late - the opportunity was gone."

"Robin watched as the reverend met each loss and challenge with great faith, never giving up. He comforted those who suffered a loss, and strengthened those whose resolve weakened. It has been said that he cursed God during his final act as he turned the wheel that shut off the steam that prevented escape, but I maintain that he didn't - and I should know, since I was there."

There were several gasps from the audience; of course most had heard of the accident much as they heard of the Titanic or Lusitania, but they had no idea that one of the survivors was among them, and certainly not the Reverend Andrew Shelby. "You tell it, Reverend!" someone shouted from the back.

"I will," he said in response. "None of us is perfect - not me, not you, and I know that Reverend Scott had his flaws. But that's the way we ALL are. When he was turning that wheel, he certainly cursed; I will give the man the benefit of the doubt by being under extreme duress. But he didn't curse God - he simply questioned why. Is that so bad? We ask God for this, we praise him for that - but it's human nature to ask why. Children, arguably the least corrupted among us, ask their parents 'why' all the time; should we be immune from ignorance just because we get a few wrinkles or worry lines? Our Father is there to ask; that's what he's there for. Reverend Scott asked, and God answered by saving the rest of us."

"It didn't happen at that moment, but something changed in my life. Before that, if anyone had asked me what I wanted to be I probably would have answered an astronaut or a cowboy, depending on what day of the week it was. But Reverend Scott's faith, and his sacrifice, changed the way I looked at the world. I saw firsthand how much one person can influence the lives of others, and how one act can affect others so profoundly. Like the other survivors, I pretty much kept out of the limelight; when I got old enough, I entered seminary and started going by my middle name." He looked out over his congregation and gave a slight grin. "I'm not saying you should all get stranded in a sinking ship to come to some great epiphany, but what I am saying is that when we think about sacrifice, maybe - just maybe - the ones we make in our small way don't come with nearly as large a price as others have paid. Those lying in a soldier's grave overseas, in an ocean liner on the bottom of the ocean, or most importantly the Son awaiting a return from Heaven above - remember Him? - be mindful, respectful, and appreciative of what they gave. I thank everyone for the sacrifices they've made in this year, and this coming year I challenge you to seek out where you can give of yourself to help others and be thankful and not surprised if you find yourself benefiting from the same from others. Can I get an Amen?"

"Amen!" the congregation shouted.

The End

A/N: There aren't a lot of movies out there with a New Year's theme (at least that I've seen), but I remembered that this one took place at that time. For perhaps my only New Years story, I submit this as an anniversary of the movie.

I have NOT seen the sequel or any remakes.