Do Not Touch: Forbidden Foods
What Christians Want to Know But Are Afraid to Ask
10 Ways to Communicate With the Holy Spirit
Finding Hope
10 Ways to be Your Own Inspiration
10 Tips to Create Inner Harmony
Find Happiness and Health the Italian Way
Suppress Your Appetite Naturally with These Tips
A Couch Potato’s Guide to Exercise: 7 Steps to Change Your Life
Best Game 7s Ever
Superman and the Other-Worldly Challenges of Adopting that Baby Who Has Landed in Your Life
Retired But Not Finished
Emotional Vampires at Work
Stress-Reducing Stretches
20 Quick Tips to Adjust Your Attitude
Fathers Know Best: Best Advice from Fathers
20 Things You Can't Miss This Summer
10 Ways to Raise A Structured Child
We didn’t expect to see one. Even the bikini-clad gal at the snorkle shed admitted that she’d only seen two in the last year. But my nine-year-old son desperately wanted to see a sea turtle in its natural habitat, so while vacationing on St. Croix last week, we went to a beach where a particular sort of coral grows that sea turtles like to eat. We all donned our snorkel gear and set out.
The waves occasionally washed down my pipe but I swam on, arm in arm with my son. He seemed to be doing better than I was. Nice fish were immediately evident, but the scenery wasn’t all that eventful. In fact, we’d been in the water for about 25 minutes, and I was beginning to space out and get bored when my son firmly squeezed my arm. And then his finger extended, trembling.
So I looked.
And there was the turtle. Oh my God. A young hawksbill sea turtle, flapping along. Incredible. In the silence of the water, we followed. Later my son would exclaim quite accurately, “Its flippers didn’t dig into the water like a frog’s. It flapped through the water like a bird glides on wings!”
Ten minutes later, Mr. Chattering and the older chattering boy snorkled by and we were able to silently convey our glee to them with gestures that said “COME OVER… there’s a turtle here!”
And we all snorkled along with our guy (an adolescent, I guess, about 30 inches long) until we got tired and finally let him slip from our sights. The next day my husband lost the disposable underwater camera that had all our turtle pictures on it. “Don’t worry about it, honey. I’m not sure the visibility wasn’t all that good.” But what I should have said was “Don’t worry. The image of that turtle swimming near us is emblazoned in our brains and none of us will ever forget it!”
posted June 21, 2006 at 3:35 pm
This encounter reminds me of our own encounter with at least two individual green sea turtles in Hawaii. We didn’t expect to see them either so the delight at finding not just one, but two, and possibly three turtles in the water with us was an unexpected gift. One was feeding on the algae growing on rocks near the shore, the other was swimming around and sometimes surfacing for a breath. We aren’t sure if we saw another feeding or if it was the same one, as we swam around a bit and didn’t hang too closely with any of them so as not to disturb them. I made it a point to not touch them or come too close. I saw their eyes watching my husband and I as we floated near them, just feet away. We also have no pictures as we didn’t have a camera that day but I’ll never forget our sea turtle encounter. The memories of this spiritual experience will last me a lifetime.>
posted June 21, 2006 at 4:26 pm
I was in Hawaii as a shaporone to a group with special needs. We took them to a secluded Beach. My coworker and I was taking a break as they rested in the shade. She chose to climb on the rocks and I waded in the water below her. She quietly called my name in a way that alerted me to be still. I had been focusing on the rocks and sand close to my feet but when I looked in front of me there were two large sea turtles swimming tword me. I can’t describe the feeling it gave me to see them…but they stayed with me while she ran for our cameras. My photos are not clear but clear enough to show friends and family. But….this experience has had an affect on my life as an artist. I can’t stop painting sea turtles. I seem to be fixed on painting a red sunset with a large flowing white bird looking down at a sea turtle that is looking up at her. Some times the turle is white and I feel like they are spirits. I know it sounds crazy. I’m making drums and the turtles seem to be with me in spirit.???? It’s feels wonderful. Cathy>
posted June 21, 2006 at 9:12 pm
Wow! It’s amazing what simple things can have such relevance in our lives. I love this story. For some reason it touched me. I consider this to be one of God’s small miracles.>
posted June 26, 2006 at 7:55 am
ON BEASLEY PARK IN DESTIN FLORIDA WAS A NEST OF SEA TURTLES. I HAD THE HONOR OF HOLDING ONE IN MY HANDS AND HELPING IT TO THE WATER AS IT HATCHED AND RAN FOR ALL IT WAS WORTH TO THE SEA. WHAT A DELIGHTFUL SIGHT TO SEE AND BE A PART OF.>