Reflections

I just returned from our annual pilgrimage to Holden Beach, NC. Ellen’s family has been beaching at Holden for generations, and I am grateful to have been grafted onto their tradition. Every year our beach time includes lounging in the sand as well as reading, games, naps, fried seafood, and blessed sabbath time.

 

Most years also include cheering on the Turtle Patrol. A group of dedicated volunteers comb the shore for turtle nests, strengthen, move, and / or mark them for their protection, and set up a runway (see photo) to help the little dudes make their way to the ocean. After a hatch (a hatching is called a boil because all of the ~50 turtles breaking free of their eggs and scampering out of the nest looks like a pot of boiling water), the Patrol does an inventory to make sure there aren’t any having trouble climbing out of the nest. Some of these stragglers are a little out of it and have a hard time making it down the runway, but a gentle tap on the shell by the Patrol encourages them to get moving. 

 

At All Saints, we are in the midst of preparing for new school and program years. Our beloved campus and buildings require a lot of attention. And on top of that, we are preparing for an important capital campaign. It’s a lot, and this is a busy and stressful time. All of it can feel like a boiling nest of eager young turtles: joyous, frenetic, and faithfully embarking on a new journey. And God is there: watching out for us, guiding us if we go astray, helping us emerge if we are stuck, and tapping us on the shell if we need to get moving. Moreover - to exhaust the metaphor - we are in this together, not one hatchling but many, all boiling and striving together. 

 

I pray that we always remember that we are a community of Saints. Some of us are vigorous, some have wandered off, and some need a little help. But all of us have a common and blessed goal: to be Saints of God.