Saturday, July 25, 2009

Photo Not Needed

Not all experiences are captured with photographs or video recordings...which is ok, because that's life as we know it to be - it's always moving forward. It doesn't stop and pose or have room for re-takes. We capture memories in our minds and hearts....

Last night, on my way to visit my parents, I accidentally hit a turtle that was attempting to cross road. Now, the car didn't crush it, but it was still in the middle of a busy 2 lane road. I really felt sorry for the slow-moving animal because it was in a 55 MPH zone. There's no way a turtle on land can move that fast, unless it's in the vehicle.

Oddly enough, as we were leaving their house, my daughter noticed that the dogs had "found" a turtle. We saved this one from nosey wet noses and snappy sharp teeth by placing the turtle in a box while we pondered just what to do with him..or her.

This turtle was not injured, but it was hiding in its protective shell, keeping all its limbs intact.
Watching him in the box, we waited for him to "come out of his shell"...literally!

We had to decide quickly what to do with him, since it was getting dark and I didn't want to be stuck with a turtle for the rest of the night. My daughter suggested that we release the turtle at the river or the local park.

With the turtle still hiding in its shell, in the box, we decided to drive down to the park.
It was dark when we arrived. I lifted the turtle out of the box and carried it to a place where he could either slide into the water or walk away from it.

We set the turtle down and watched and waited. It wasn't long before the water began beckoning him and we saw the turtle make a move toward the water. Another minute or so and the turtle took off into the water without making a noise. Since it was dark, he disappeared quickly from our view.

We talked about the turtle on the way home. We felt that it was in a better environment to forage for food and find other turtles. We thought of the other turtle that wasn't so lucky and how this one shouldn't encounter a road since it had so much more room to roam in and out of the water.

It was quiet but happy celebration that took place without one single photo....but the memory of that night will be something that we'll talk about for years to come.

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