Many of you have heard this story, but I thought I would share it anyway, in case you haven’t heard it. Art and I have a new member of our family. When we were on our recent vacation in Florida, one of the places we went to was the Turtle Hospital in Marathon. This is the place where sick or injured turtles which are found in the wild are brought for treatment. The goal is always to treat and to release the turtles back into the wild.
However, some of the turtles cannot be released back into the wild. That’s where our adopted turtle comes in. Hanson Buoy (name chosen by her rescuers and she adopted by my husband) is a permanent resident at the hospital. She was brought to the hospital in 2016 because she was hit by a boat and has bubble butt. When a boat strikes a turtle, all their insides such as stomach, heart, lungs, and intestines get juggled about, and air then seeps in and gets trapped inside the shell. When that happens, the turtles can only float along the surface of the water. They cannot dive. They cannot swim.
They cannot find food. When they are brought to the Turtle Hospital, the medical personnel attach weights on the shell to counteract the trapped air. This allows the turtles to once again swim and dive. However, the weights often fall off and need to be replaced. That’s why they cannot be returned to the wild. Hanson Buoy has two weights on her shell, so she’s easy to spot in the pool that is home to the permanent residents.
She is at least 33 years old. She had been brought in once before in 1994, healed, and released with a tracker as part of a special program. She was young when that happened and weighed only 38 pounds. Now, she weighs over 310 pounds! Sea turtles generally live to be about 50, so we will be supporting Hanson Buoy for a few more years. When we adopted her, we agreed to pay about 10 cents a day to help pay for food and medical care.
Both Art and I are huge proponents of doing good wherever we can. This just seemed like a natural place where we can help, and it gives us the opportunity to educate others about the sea turtles and their care and how people can help.
From the very beginning of creation, God has asked us to care for all that God has created. We have opportunities in big ways and small ways.
Pastor Beth
