Old Turtle

I'm normally not much of a believer in omens. But, I'm starting to look for some meaning in our encounters with a box turtle EVERY time we visit our construction site. The first time we saw her we just thought it was cool. Every wildlife sighting is awe inspiring for us regardless of how big, small, impressive, or understated. She was standing in the midst of the recently excavated driveway and appeared far less impressed with us than we were with her.

The next day (Friday), there she was again...in almost the same spot. Knowing there would be large machines moving large amounts of dirt/rock early the next morning I moved her into the woods for her own protection.

On Saturday morning our builder brought his son to the site. He found the old turtle and moved her into the woods yet again.

And last night when I went out to begin the process of turning fallen trees into next year's firewood...lo and behold there she stood again.

Hopefully this doesn't just mean that we've plowed her home under during the excavating process and she's looking for it. But, what does it mean?

It brought back to mind a children's book tucked away on our bookshelf and mostly forgotten. So, last night I pulled it out and re-read it. Old Turtle is the voice of reason who convinces all the people and all the elements of the earth to respect one another and to find God in everything. Pretty profound for a silly little children's book.

Pick it up sometime...it's a great refresher course in the way we should view the world and each other. And, hopefully it's a good omen, as well!

P.S. The rhododendrons are blooming and they are quite a sight! It was too dark for a great photo, but I'll try to get something a little better on my next visit.