I am not ashamed to admit that I am an animal lover. In fact, the older I get the more of a slight fanatic I have become regarding cats, bunnies, lions, tigers, birds and, oh yeah, turtles.
I've always loved turtles, for as long as I can remember. I even had a pet turtle as an adult. But I fell in love with the green sea turtle variety in 1989 when I visited the turtle farm in the Cayman Islands on my honeymoon. I fell hard...and have never gotten over it.
That love was re-kindled when I visited the same turtle farm years later, this time with my three children. A picture sits on my mantle of all four of us holding baby green sea turtles, as they moved their strong flippers rapidly, trying to escape our grasp. It is one of my fondest memories.
But as good as those memories were, those turtles were in captivity. I had never experienced them in their full glory, so to speak. That is, until two months ago.
My friend, Tip, and I went to Cancun, Mexico, for a much needed girlfriend getaway. On the plane trip down, Tip expressed her strong interest in seeing an adult turtle in its natural habitat. I, too, thought that would be awesome, so I said a silent prayer, asking God for that to happen. Tip expressed this desire more than once that day.
The next morning, after breakfast, I made my way down to the beach to get us a coveted spot while Tip went to our hotel room to pick up some things she had forgotten. On the way I stopped at the bar to get a beer and the female bartender asked me if I had seen the baby turtles. I looked at her, with excitement painted all over my face, and said, "WHERE?" She pointed to a little shack just feet away from where I stood and I rushed over. I found the hotel's lifeguard, Pavel, guarding 30 some baby turtles. He began to speak to me and he picked up a baby, instructing me how to hold it. I could literally not believe my good fortune. What a blessing this was! I came down to the beach at the exact right moment, as I was one of only a few people who got to see these precious creatures.
I expressed to Pavel how much my friend wanted to see turtles on our trip and how she would be down soon. He told me to find him when she came back down to the beach and that he would open the shed back up so she, too, could hold them. I could hardly contain my excitement when I saw her making her way down to our spot on the beach. I motioned to her with my hand to hurry up....Pavel witnessed our interaction and led the way back to the baby turtles. She was so happy to see them, just as I had been. He handed each of us two turtles to hold...we were in heaven.
The next day we were privileged to see several more baby turtles come into this world...and that very same night blessed beyond measure to release them into the sea, their home. I can't even put into words how it felt to be part of this incredible experience. Words cannot do it justice.
Turtles
