Bless the Beasts
The other day, I went whale watching because I read somewhere that the blues were back, and they are simply astonishing to see in person. Whatever, I read, it was true, because we saw a good dozen or so whales, with 8 being of the bigger-than-a-dinosaur blue variety. The water must have been particularly clear, because we could see their neon blue underwater glow from quite a way away (this is why they are called blue whales -- there is some manner of algae on their skin that glows brightly under water, on the surface they are light gray). There was quite a swell going, which on a catamaran, can seem a lot bigger than it is. Pretty soon, a mother and baby bobbed over to check us out. They did everything in unison, and were never out of physical contact with one another. They surfaced, not 15 yards from our boat, gave us the once over, and slowly drifted off, in no hurry at all. It was one of the most amazing and moving things I've ever seen, this beautiful little family (that little in number, not size), stopping by for a visit, and then sliding away on a glistening navy blue sea. Suddenly, a swell passed under us, raising and dropping us, and then passed under our friends who were by this time maybe 100 feet away from us. For a few surreal, beautiful seconds, they were lifted up, and suspended in the clear seawater, and we could see them, not just murky shapes below the water, or an expanse of back breaking the surface to breathe, but we could see all of them. Suspended in the swell, the two swam idly on as one, tails rising and falling together, their pectoral fins moving up and down slightly to balance them, and everything glowing an almost neon turquoise. Then, the sea smoothed out, and their glow receded as they moved on. I found myself with tears running down my cheeks, mouthing the words, "Please God, please take care of them."
I am a Christian and take it seriously, but it's never really occurred to me to ask God for much. He's not my errand boy, and the universe wasn't created to do me any favors, and never promised, so far as I know, to guarantee me a life free of hazard or pain. And anyway, the stuff I am sometimes tempted to ask for is, in retrospect, pretty stupid and not good for me in the long run. In any case, I'm pretty sure God knows what I need before I ask, and that He heard my ask him to bless that little family in the deep, dark sea. I will never know, of course, whether my prayer was answered or not. All I can do is remember that image of their radiant bodies flying through the crystal water, and hold it in my heart.
I am a Christian and take it seriously, but it's never really occurred to me to ask God for much. He's not my errand boy, and the universe wasn't created to do me any favors, and never promised, so far as I know, to guarantee me a life free of hazard or pain. And anyway, the stuff I am sometimes tempted to ask for is, in retrospect, pretty stupid and not good for me in the long run. In any case, I'm pretty sure God knows what I need before I ask, and that He heard my ask him to bless that little family in the deep, dark sea. I will never know, of course, whether my prayer was answered or not. All I can do is remember that image of their radiant bodies flying through the crystal water, and hold it in my heart.