The Symbolism of the Sea Turtles

On Wednesday morning, NoNut and I witnessed something that can’t be adequately described. As we looked through the pictures on social media and watched the newscasts later that afternoon, they fell flat compared to being there in person. We were able to watch 10 sea turtles being released back into the ocean at Surf City, NC.

These sea turtles have been at The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation Center and are now ready to return home. The sea turtle hospital's three main goals are rescue, rehabilitation, and release. They rescue turtles in a variety of conditions.

Some have been harmed and/or injured (by boats, fishing nets, beach litter, predator attacks) while others are sick (a lot of them were cold-stunned—think hypothermia—due to the cold ocean waters). The day we visited the sea turtle hospital, 65 sea turtles were there needing some form of help and care in order to move from barely existing to surviving to thriving.

On the tour, we peeked into the sick bay where dozens of sea turtles were being watched, held for water therapy, treated with medicine, and loved on by the volunteers. Then we moved into a larger room where the turtles were not just healing and recovering, but they were thriving, swimming around, entertaining the crowds or ignoring the crowds. It didn’t take long for us to see that each turtle has its own personality as well as its unique story. Each turtle came with a need that required care and assistance. They were carefully nursed and fed and tended to as they moved through the different stages of healing. The ultimate goal for these sea turtles is to be strengthened and restored so they can be released back into the ocean whether that process takes several weeks, months, or years.

Once a sea turtle is ready, the sea turtle hospital will release it back into the ocean with a big send off, and it’s something to behold! After the time, love, and care poured into each turtle, it’s a true labor of love to let them go. During our visit, it seemed as if the staff and volunteers each have their favorite turtles and while they will miss "their turtles", there was an equal amount of excitement and eagerness to return their turtles back to the sea. Their vision and hope for the turtles went beyond the confines of the hospital!

For the smaller turtles, their names are proudly displayed on a sign carried by children as the turtles are carried by hospital staff and carefully paraded in front of the large crowds. Smiles, awe, excitement, and wonder are evident among the crowds as each turtle is recognized and given a send off. The hospital staff then tightly carries the smaller turtles into the ocean where the waves begin to break and they gently place each turtle in the water. Some of the little turtles swim right into the waves, and others tumble with the waves before settling into the rhythm of the ocean. The staff watches the sea turtles until they are out of sight and then they raise their hands with pride and excitement to let the crowd know the turtle is finally free…finally home!

The larger turtles (read somewhere that the largest one released on Wednesday was 240 pounds) were rolled down on a cart, one at a time, with 3-4 men holding each one down. We had the joy of seeing three large turtles released! One of the largest turtles kept wanting to flop up off the table…but as soon as all three were lifted from the cart and placed on the ground, they wasted no time finding their way to the ocean. They were ready to go, had freedom in sight, and went for it showing no fear and massive strength!

The one thing that really stood out to me with every single turtle is that when it was their time to be released, these turtles were ready to be released! They looked well, healthy, hearty, and full of life. As soon as they were in the water, they knew what to do and didn’t look back. They went forward into freedom with all they had.

It was as if the sea turtle hospital was a detour on their life journey—a detour, not a final destination, a detour that strengthened them when they were weak and couldn’t go on, and a detour that was filled with dedicated hands and hearts who invested their lives into caring and nursing these turtles back to health. And if one of these turtles needs another rescue in the future, the sea turtle hospital will be there to serve as another detour in the journey once again. Just because a turtle is well enough to reenter the ocean, it doesn’t mean it’s totally forgotten and that help is no longer available to him. The sea turtle hospital staff will always be there with open arms and hearts to care for the sea turtles brought to them—that is their passion and why they do what they do!

The sea turtle release was symbolic to me as it reminds me of the recovery journey. Recovery can be defined as “a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.” It can be something like recovering from a broken bone or illness or change in life to recovering from trauma, grief, addictions, or mental illness. There are times when we can’t go on any further the way we’ve been living. Sometimes unhealthy habits and coping skills catch up with us or we have made one too many wrong choices that leave unbearable consequences or we become sick and in need of care because we can’t take care of ourselves at the moment.

We become like the sick sea turtles needing a place to go. Places of refuge can be found in the form of trusted friends, counseling/therapy, support groups, treatment centers, routine care appointments, safe community, etc. We need places where we can be cared for and given space to rest, heal, and regain our strength. As we get back on our feet, the broken pieces of our personality and lives begin to heal. Strength and energy return creating new vitality in places we thought were long gone. We are well-cared for and at times, that care seems so safe and nurturing that we don’t want to leave it and at other times, we are screaming to be free and be free now.

But those caring for us see what we can’t see and they see that we need more time before we are ready to be released. If they release us too early, we may not sustain the journey long-term. If they wait too long, we might despair. Timing is crucial! Yet when we are ready to step out into freedom, the door swings wide open for us to run through. We are given tools, resources, and reassurances with our send off. But unlike sea turtles, we have a choice if we will move forward without looking back and will gather strength with each stroke forward or if we will move forward but get scared of the vast ocean of freedom and will retreat back into the familiarity of sickness.

Seeing the eagerness, strength, and agility of the largest sea turtle and how he knew he was destined for the great ocean that roared before him inspires me to adopt a sea turtle mentality. This involves realizing that:

  ~  sometimes our shells can hide and protect us from the outside but they don’t always hide or protect us from damage on the inside whether caused by others or ourselves;

  ~  sometimes our shells can be so worn or damaged on the outside but we are feisty and strong on the inside that we don't see how much we truly are suffering--we need to be contained for awhile so our bodies can get the physical rest and replenishment that they need in order to survive the depths of the sea of life;

  ~  sometimes we need the care, love, and nurturing of others in order to help us move from surviving to thriving--that in order to live in the ocean of freedom, we need time, skills, and help in order to grow and mature so we can stand up to whatever is found in the depths of life and move beyond needing an all-out rescue mission every single time we get knocked down;

  ~  when it’s time to enter freedom, go with eagerness, swim toward the waves and feel freedom break all over you, keep swimming and don’t look back;

  ~  we never go at it alone…there will always be people there to love, listen, guide, and challenge us to move from surviving to thriving.

Sometimes we need the "rehabilitation" detours in order to regain the things we didn’t know we lost along the way or to teach us what we need to know in order to make it to the next destination of our journey. Detours aren’t all bad and if a sea turtle can find help and love, surely we can, too! Chances are that when you are ready to be rescued and start reaching out for help, you'll find a lot of love and adoring fans eager to cheer you on to wellness and freedom.

Not Too Old & Frumpy To Be Safe (#FMF)

Yesterday, my child, NoNut, and I were returning home from the best week at the beach and stopped for lunch and gas on the way home. After lunch, I drove next door to an Exxon that was literally right off I40W in Johnston County, North Carolina. It was surrounded by fast food places, other gas stations, and stores so it was in a highly populated area. There was nothing secluded about this gas station.

I pulled in and noticed two creepy looking men in a pickup truck at the pump ahead of me but on the other side. They were done getting gas and so I figured they were leaving and I was probably being paranoid and stereotyping and almost dismissed these men. However, something made me do a double look and I told NoNut to stay in the van and I locked all the doors. As I started pumping gas, I had this growing sense of urgency.

I got back in the van because I noticed the men kept staring at us and they weren't leaving. I noticed a couple guys selling Fit 4 Life stuff a few feet away at the Exxon door and 2-3 other cars at the pumps to the right of us, so we weren’t alone, but I kept assessing the situation because something felt off as those men still sat there and stared at us. I reminded NoNut to stay in the van unaware that he had already noticed the "suspicious men" (as he later called them) and was watching them, too. As I got out to return nozzle back to the pump in record time, I noticed the passenger getting out of that truck and he was starting to walk towards us.

As I opened my door to get in the van, the man started calling for me, “Ma’am! Ma’am!” I jumped in and locked doors and started the van while he was still hollering “Ma’am!" He hobbled over with his cane and hit my front left tire with his cane and yelled, “There is something wrong with your tire!” I was inwardly freaking out because all the Facebook warnings came to mind about this tactic (I even just read/posted an article the day before about a mother and daughter at a rest area that put me more on alert while traveling home).

I pulled forward to drive around the man but he walked in front of van even more so I couldn’t go around him without hitting him. He hollered again that there is something wrong with my tire and he was waving at me to get out and look. By that time, I was already reversing the van while he was hollering again and pointing to my tire! I just got new tires a couple weeks ago and the van was riding/sounding fine so I knew my tire was fine but what if it wasn’t?! I knew I had to get out of there and worry about the tire later.

I flew out of the gas station but got stuck at the light just outside of the gas station. Meanwhile, NoNut is watching the man walk fast (not hobbling like he originally was) to the far side of station and then walk back to his truck. I stopped at a nearby Auto Zone to look at my tire and my tire was perfectly fine!! By the time we passed back by the gas station two minutes later to get back on the interstate, the men were gone! I didn’t call the police because I didn’t even know the exact name of the town we were in nor could remember the exact exit number we took (downside to relying solely on GPS than road signs) plus the men were gone.

All I could do was thank God for His protection and gut feelings! I keep thinking about what if I had gotten out to look at the tire because normally I would. Would those men have taken the van with NoNut in it or would they just grab my purse or what?! I’m like a 40 yr old frumpy, tired, out-of-shape mom...there’s no way they were after me but it really makes me mad that they thought they could pull one over on me! This is stuff you read about on Facebook and think would never happen to you, but that guy outright lied and told me something was wrong w/my tire and was desperate for me to come and see it! I immediately called PaNut at work while we were pulling out of the gas station and had him stay on the phone w/me until we checked the tire and got back on the interstate! The whole thing was super unnerving! (And since I didn't know what town we were in, I was grateful I had "checked-in" when we stopped for lunch via the Life 360 tracking app for families so PaNut had our location info just in case.)

So this a reminder to ALL women even if you feel old and frumpy...still listen to your gut feelings!! I’m pretty sure these men weren’t after me, but they were men on a mission and probably saw out-of-state license plates and our vacation stuff and tried to go for it in broad daylight with people around! Be alert and be aware of your surroundings no matter if you walk, drive, fly, or travel in any other way this summer!

 Also, many of us belong to faith communities that constantly remind us to share God with others and to take advantage of opportunities to share His love with strangers. But faith communities often fail to remind us of the responsibility we have to use common sense and to use wise safety sense—to love but love wisely.

Sometimes safety may look or feel like we are disrespecting people by not stopping to listen to them and/or not helping them out or by jumping in the car and locking the door or rolling up a window (or both) or by quickly leaving a situation that doesn't feel right. Matthew 10:16 says, "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” "Alone, the wisdom of the serpent is mere cunning, and the harmlessness of the dove little better than weakness: but in combination, the wisdom of the serpent would save them from unnecessary exposure to danger; the harmlessness of the dove, from sinful expedients to escape it." (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary.)

While loving others is our ultimate goal, we need to remember to practice common sense (aka employ wisdom and discretion--Proverbs 3:21) and safety-sense in the process! If you get a weird gut feeling, listen to it even if it feels like you are over-reacting! Do NOT discount those moments when the Spirit is trying to protect you and lead you to safety! It is not my nature to blatantly ignore people trying to talk to me and to respond with seemingly rudeness like yesterday. However, if I didn’t do that yesterday, we would’ve had a completely different ending to our perfect beach trip! I am thankful God's protection came in the form of uneasiness because it kept us alert and ready to run from harm!

Five Minute Friday (#FMFparty) gives writers a word prompt. We are encouraged to write whatever comes to mind about that word in just five minutes (although, I usually go longer bcs FMF helps fuel that spark in me to write). No editing, no perfection, only writing from the heart. To find out more, visit Five Minute Friday. This week's word is "FLY".

A Tribute to My Grandpa

My grandpa passed away on Monday, December 18, 2017, and this is what I shared at his Celebration of Life service the following week. 

Every time we had a school project to do on a hero, my grandpa was the first person I’d go to. The little journalist in me filled my steno-book with questions as I interviewed my grandpa about his days in the Navy, life aboard a ship, the Korean War, and his work at the shipyard. He’d joyfully answer my questions and I took great pride in recording his answers and crafting the perfect presentation to share with my teacher and my classmates because I wanted everyone to know about my grandpa. I wanted my class to know about his bravery, his dedication, his strength, and his faith—for that is what made my grandpa such a hero in my eyes.

Now, fast forward 30 years and I feel like that same little girl today who earnestly wants you to see the greatness that I see in my grandpa. Yet words seem so inadequate because no words can describe the bond that we shared as I was his #1 (he’d always call me that bcs I was his first grandchild.)

My grandpa was the only one I could sit and have a conversation with and never utter a word and I’d leave thinking that was one of the best conversations we’ve ever had. He was an introvert like me and all throughout my life, my favorite times with him centered around sitting together in silence. No words were needed because love, acceptance, and support spoke louder than words. However, when my grandpa did speak, his words were deep, truthful, thankful, and always pointed back to God both in the good and bad times. He enjoyed talking about what God was teaching him and how it intersected with his life. He loved to share memories of my grandma, my mom, and even me and my sister in our younger days and he always shared how He saw God working in our lives. My grandpa was very thankful for his salvation and always spoke of the fact that he was a first-generation Christian. He didn’t grow up knowing God like we did, so every day was a new discovery for him and he tried to live faithfully to God in all that he did.

My grandpa was a strong leader, but also a silent leader. He knew how to command attention with his presence yet he knew how to gently shepherd each heart in his care.

My grandpa’s strength was heard across a room or a sanctuary as he opened his voice to sing or to pray. He sang and prayed with such gusto, conviction, and love for God that everyone knew he believed every word that he sang or spoke.

His strength was seen in the way he led our family as he cherished my grandma, faithfully prayed for each one of us, intentionally spoke God’s Word to us as we shared our lives with him, and consciously praised God for both the trials and the blessings.

What I enjoyed about my grandpa was that he was as serious about life as I was. He was always willing to talk deeply and would explore different ideas with me whether it was something spiritual or envisioning what God could do in ministry or an intriguing subject at school or figuring out motherhood. He always listened to whatever I had to say as if it was the most important thing that could be said in that moment for he knew the gift and joy of being present in the moment without distractions. My grandpa is the one that taught me the most about what God must be like and his example continually pushed me to search for more of God because I wanted to be a wise person of strength just like him.

            Yesterday, Psalm 100:5 really jumped out at me—“For the Lord is good and His faithful love endures forever; his faithfulness through all generations.” This is something my grandpa believed. He was able to be faithful to God because he experienced God’s faithfulness for himself.

I used to wonder what does God’s faithfulness look like and can God be as faithful to me as He has been to my grandpa and then I look at what all as has unfolded since my grandpa died last week. Less than 12 hours after we buried my grandpa, my husband was in the ER with heart attack symptoms. 24 hours after that, we were back in the ER and admitted overnight. It seemed so surreal to be going through all of this because I was still trying to grasp the fact that my grandpa is gone. But this is where I got to experience that same faithfulness my grandpa so often spoke of. God’s faithfulness showed up in His peace and comfort. And He is showing up in all the ways that our friends, family, and church family are loving us and taking care of us. God was in the details already knowing that this is too much for one family to handle, but yet He faithfully provided ways for us to walk through it.

In that long night at the hospital, I couldn’t help but think about the many times my grandpa sat by my grandma’s side, loving her, watching her, praying over her, and reading His Bible to help both of them get through as I did the same thing with my husband. And once again, my grandpa’s example of strength challenged me to keep seeking God and looking for His faithfulness and that is what allows me to stand here before you today.

Because God was faithful to my grandpa, my grandpa lived a life of faithfulness to Him. Because of my grandpa’s faithfulness, 3 generations of our family have been able to know God and have been invited to experience the faithfulness of God, too.

Anyone related to my grandpa is very familiar with his heart’s desire and it’s found in 3 John 1:4—“I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in truth.” My grandpa knew the truth, walked in the truth, and died in truth knowing that he will not only be with my grandma but with his Heavenly Father forever and he wants that same truth to be our truth!

My grandpa’s life teaches us that, real strength comes from walking in the truth. That truth is ONLY found in the Word of God and through the Holy Spirit weaving that Word into our lives. That kind of truth goes far beyond church attendance, ministry involvement, and keeping up a polished Christian image. The kind of truth my grandpa lived by was a day-to-day, step-by-step kind of truth as he sought after God and banked on God’s love and faithfulness to get him through everything.

So while the little journalist in me knows to conclude this by repeating the topic sentence of why my grandpa is my hero, what I really want to say is that his death brings a loss that I have never known before. He has been such a rock to me throughout my 40 years. But while the tears and heartache will last for awhile, my grandpa taught all of us who knew him everything we need to know to make it here without him. He didn’t leave us empty-handed and lost, but rather he continues to encourage us to live and thrive by fulfilling the simple affirmation of  3 John 1:4—“I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in truth.”

Theologian Albert Barnes from the 1800s writes “There is nothing that would give more peace to the dying pillow of the Christian parent [or grandparent], than to be able to leave the world with the assurance that his children would always walk in truth." That is all my grandpa ever wanted from us. May we remember that, and may we seek after truth and live to experience God’s faithfulness just like he did!