ANOTHER LESSON FROM TURTLE

"After a long, lonesome and scary time...

the people listened and began to hear...

And to see God in one another...

and in the beauty of all the Earth.

Old Turtle smiled.

And so did God."

~ Douglas Wood

Are you familiar with the book,

Old Turtle

?

I thought of it when I saw sea turtles at Caneel Bay on the island of St. John and when I wrote the previous message.

Here's the essence of that story.

There was time before humans when all creation could speak and understand one another.

One day the breezes, the stones, the mountains, the fish, the stars, the ants, the antelopes,the trees, the islands, the sun, the waters...everything....started describing God. And they began to argue.

"She is a hunter, roared the lion.

"God is gentle," chirped the robin.

"He is powerful," growled the bear.

The arguments grew louder and fiercer.

Finally, Old Turtle spoke.

She said that God is all that they described and more.

"God is indeed deep,

she said to the fish in the sea;          

and much higher than high,

she told the mountains.

He is swift and free as the wind,

and still and solid as a great rock,

she said to the breezes and stones...

God is all that we dream of,

and all that we seek,

all that we come from

and all that we find.

God IS."

The message is already powerful.

But there's more.

It's about the coming of people.

"They will be strong yet tender,

a message of love from God to the Earth,

and a prayer from the earth back to God...

But the people forgot...

they were a message of love

and a prayer from the earth.

They began to argue...

and hurt one another...

And they hurt the earth...

...even the forests

began to die..."

At that crisis time,

all the creatures began to speak

to the people from their ancient wisdom.

"After a long, lonesome and scary time...

the people listened and began to hear..."

May we soon get better

at listening

and hearing

and honoring

how we all see differently.

May we revere the earth

and all creatures too.

And see God in one another

and in the beauty of the earth.

Imagine if we each did that.

Seeing it so,

Charlene