Beached Oil
Oil paddies, photo by Joe Denton, June 5, 2010
The birds, crabs, and fish at Katrina Cut have little choice. Two birds huddling together stared at me with a look of deep uncertainty. Nearby dolphins fed on schools of mullet. The animals there were nesting, resting, and swimming with the oil … a paradise lost. Large horseshoe crabs once flourishing in these waters were washing ashore dead.
I’m upset because I’m losing this paradise. I feel cheated. But why am I upset? Why, when so many people around me live in daily fear, rejection, and denied opportunities. Perhaps the oil eruption will crash my attachments and illusions … prompt me to care more and fear less … to regain reality. The crucified live all around me. The oil eruption is toxic … symptomatic of all that I have neglected. It’s a rude awakening, but I needed a real kick in the pants.
We as a human family need healing just as our environment needs healing. But healing can only be found with the crucified … jobless … unnoticed … lost … hurting … imprisoned … mourning … all of us included and active.
Energetic cooperation between all of us is where we find the Spirit, our All in All, who boundlessly enlightens, empowers, and heals. Fears, illusions, and attachments can hold us back, but now is the time to share our lives, needs, and talents. Our promised future is passionately reaching out to us but it is unwritten.
Mia Rose singing Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
June 6, 2010
· 
Leo Denton · 
31 Comments
Tags: Cooperation, Dauphin Island, Dolphin, Gulf oil spill, Healing, Horseshoe crabs, Mia Rose, Natasha Bedingfield, Paradise, Polution, Spirit, Unwritten, Wildlife · Posted in: Being real, Community, Music, Nature, Oil spill
31 Responses
http://www.teamearth.com/Pages/default.aspx
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Great site, Dawn. Alot of people are thinking the same thoughts, and this site/link gives tons of ideas for things TO DO to be more a part of the solution and less a part of the problem.
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Mia Rose is great. Spill is unexpected and scary. What happens next?
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Consider the sea turtle that nests on our beaches every summer. There is one live nest in Gulf Shores already. Will there be more? And when they hatch, what fate awaits them? Even in the best of times, they need guidance to find the surf, or they may wander out onto the highway to be crushed by oncoming traffic. They are a perfect example of our need to follow the ‘light’lest we are doomed to everlasting darkness. The following is something that I wrote a few years ago about the plight of the sea turtle. AND NOW THE OIL SPILL!
FLASHLIGHTS AND TURTLES – a Mini Testimony
It was late August, and I was just beginning on my early morning daily 4-mile walk. My neighbor stopped me to tell me that she had just seen that 37 baby sea turtles found their way to the Gulf of Mexico waters. I ask her where, and she told me that it was just up the road. In fact I would pass by the place on my walk. I’d know when I got there because there were a number of baby turtles, smashed on the highway by the late night and early morning traffic.
I said “Oh”, not knowing what she meant, and headed out on my walk. Sure enough, about a half mile up the beach road I saw them. There were about 18 or so that were crushed on the pavement. I thought, “How sad”, and I tried to envision why these helpless little creatures had to meet such a cruel death. Obviously, the mother turtle must have come through the nearby passage way to the calm waters of the lagoon, found a secluded place on the shore of the lagoon to deposit her eggs, and then returned to the Gulf by way of the pass. This meant that the tiny sea turtles, when hatched, followed their natural instincts to head for the Gulf waters, plunging headlong, across the beach road to the Gulf. But not all made it safely across the paved road. I thought, “How tragic nature could be sometimes.” And I continued on my walk.
When I returned from the walk, I saw the son of my neighbor, and he was exuberant in telling me that he, and his son, had gotten 68 baby sea turtles to the Gulf waters, and never lost a single one. What’s more, he told me, a man up the road had gotten 88 of them to the Gulf.
I told him that I had seen the dead baby turtles on the road, and told him of my thoughts about the cruelty of nature. He smiled at my ignorance of the situation, and explained to me the manner in which the annual sea turtle saga was carried out. The mother sea turtle, he told me, has always laid her eggs in nests in the sand close to the gulf waters, not in the lagoon as I had thought. Before there were ever any houses or roads in this area, he went on, there was never any problem for the baby sea turtles to find their way to the Gulf waters. They simply emerged from their eggs beneath the sand, popped their tiny heads up through the sand and saw the reflection of the moonlight on the water. It’s the light that draws them to the water, not the roar of the surf, or the smell of the water. Their only casualties were those that fell prey to their natural predators. And, he told me, they hatch at night to avoid those predators, and their other enemy, the hot Gulf Coast sun, which, in daytime, could literally dry them up before the got to the water.
But in this day and age, the beaches are lined with houses, many of which left an inside, or outside, light on all night long. Just beyond the houses was the paved highway, with its light poles. And across the road were more partially lit houses. The poor baby sea turtle emerged from his nest and was surrounded by lights. Confused, he would head for the light, as his ancestors had done for thousands of years in the past. But which Light! Probably the brightest, but after he had gone so far, he would probably see an even brighter one. He may even wander about seeking the right direction to the Gulf all night. Even until the blazing sun rose in the morning. By then he was surely doomed.
My neighbor and his family would seek out the nests before hatching time, mark their location, and watch them for signs that hatching was imminent. The previous night, he and his son, took their flashlights to the beach at about 11 o’clock at night, and watched the selected nest. Shortly after midnight they could see the sand on the nest start to move a little. Soon a tiny head would pop up and quickly withdraw back into the sanctuary of the sand, only to reappear in a few moments. Soon others popped through the sand, followed by still others. My neighbor and his son would then turn their flashlights on, and, standing between the Gulf waters and the nest, shine the lights on the emerging baby sea turtles. By shining their flashlights from one turtle to another, they led them all toward the water, away from the lighted homes and street lamps. It would take a couple of hours for all the eggs to hatch and the tiny turtles to make their way to the water, following the light. When there were stragglers, the father would stay close to the water, and the son would go back toward the nest and use his light to guide the latecomers toward his father’s light. Eventually all 68 sea turtles were safely in the water, and the father and son went home for some well-deserved rest.
I couldn’t stop thinking about it all day long. I thought, “I’m so much like those turtles.” How often had I been lost and confused, not knowing which way to turn, which direction to take? How many times had I looked for a guiding light? How many times had I sought the way to salvation, to the Father’s light? And how many times had I come close to it, only to wander off in some other direction? But always, there was the Son shining His light, leading me back to the Father.
Then I thought, “I’ve been like the flashlight sometimes.” Haven’t I tried to let my light shine so that someone else could see its beacon and move closer to the safety they sought? But sometimes my batteries fade and dim, and they need to be replaced or recharged. And I find I’m a turtle again. Aren’t we all flashlights or turtles? Many of us have been both at various times in our lives. I’ve discovered that it’s easier to be a turtle than a flashlight. And certainly, flashlights have more fun.
What are you? Are you a turtle or a flashlight? If you’re a turtle, keep your eye on the Son’s light. It will lead you to the Father. If you are a flashlight, let your light shine. You are a reflection of a much greater light. The more you face the Son, the brighter your light will become. And, though you can’t see it, the Son is smiling excitedly and exuberantly as another of His little ones heads for the Father. Why smiling? Because He loves you, and His love is like His light. It will never grow dim.
The Peace of Christ be with you,
Walter Redmond
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I admit I’m not the biggest “tree hugger” on the planet, but seeing Dauphin Island on the news makes me so sad. Seeing the pelicans coated in oil makes me want to cry. And the greed of B.P. is the worst. It’s said that the love of money is the root of all evil and it’s evident in how things are being handled. B.P is paying millions of dollars in dividends to its stockholders while our President is mildly complaining, most prominently after multitudes of citizens complained about him going on vacation for Memorial Day while this crisis loomed on. What about all the hard working citizens that make their livings off the gulf?
The only sense I can make of it all is that God is full of love and mercy and justice. I pray that He will impose his justice upon those who harm the people and habitat of the Gulf Coast in such a callous way.
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Hi Leo. Nice blog. I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes.
Libby
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Wow the beauty of communication.
I am now in Pittsburgh (for church camp) and feel quite far away from the beautiful Gulf Coast, but your words bring memories of the beach back to me. I can imagine that I’m back on a clean beach. Thanks!
Thanks to all working on bringing the clean beach back!
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Be sure to listen to Mia sing Unwritten in the post’s video. It’s powerful! It’s just as good to get so many good emails and comments! Keep it up! Thanks everyone!
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The comments here are threaded too so you can reply to a specific person easily by clicking the “Reply” link at the top of each comment.
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It should have been a proud moment the other day when I saw a familiar place from my hometown on CNN. Instead, I felt sadness as they showed globs of oil in Dauphin Island. I am far removed now, closer to the icy waters of the Pacific and alpine lakes than the warm Gulf of Mexico. But it hurts as I remember collecting shells and fishing off the jetties as a child. And I fear the uncertainty that I can one day take my child to see this unique ecosystem. This is indeed not something that will take care of itself.
Our love and prayers go out for all the people, creatures and other life affected by this atrocity — in truth, we are all affected.
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No matter where we are … no matter who we are … baby humans or baby sea turtles … tree huggers or oil executives … we are all connected … the future is unwritten … waiting for us to define it … to take care …
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Leo…thanks for keeping this crisis before our eyes in a very personal manner and as a reminder that all of God’s creation is sacred! Please pass my love on to Rosie and your children.
God bless, love, aidan
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Good post, Leo. You said at the end ” Our promised future is passionately reaching out to us but it is unwritten . . .”
We can begin writing it now; yet, I have yet to see many who are willing to take pen in hand and write.
From my FB posts, you know I favor cutting off all the offshore drilling altogether. I know – that’d be very hard for your region in which you live which, until recently, was experiencing a boom pulling the Gulf Coast out of decades of economic hardship. And with that oil constituting 30% of the 137 millions gallons of gasoline we use each day – much it for simple personal transportation, it would also very difficult for the Nation in general to stop the drilling and NOT replace it.
Your’re effectively in the real last generation that had decents mass transit as a part your everyday lives; you remember it I’m sure. NO – none of what of that could hold a candle to being able to hop into the air-conditioned SUV at will to ride down the road a half a mile or so to just get a cold treat at a local Sundae shop. It’s not pleasant to walk that same distance when it’s a 100 degrees in the shade. And I’m quite a certain that this same trip which you took maybe with little grumbling when you were 13 would be very hard for you do to do now.
Getting away from automobile use I know will not usher into some idyllic paradise filled with trolley cars and trains and “mom and pop” stores on every street corner and ‘victory gardens’ with chicken coops in every backyard. No – it’ll be very hard – crushingly hard for some – to transition from what we are now to something simpler and frugal.
But I still think the Great Spill is part of God’s wake-up call to all of us. It means accepting a genuine and real Cross and its ‘via dolorosa’ and its Golgotha into our lives. If we do not embrace this as a people all the suffering, which I see even your blog, will be for naught.
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Leo,
Allie and I went out last Wednesday to pick up shells. She looked up at me and said “Momma, we need to stop picking up shells and pick up oil. We found an empty plastic bag and proceeded to pick up oil globs with sticks and pieces of plastic trash that could be used as a shovel. We picked up about a gallon of globs. We were careful not to touch it.
Who are you volunteering with? Allie wants to do more and, as soon as we return from our family vacation, we would both like to get out there.
Take care and thank you for the blog. I hope many people will check it out. It may help us all get through this.
Angie
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Allie’s words call us to “think outside of the box” and “around the system” to do what is needed. As Isaiah wrote many years ago, “A little child will guide them.”
I’ll address volunteer opportunities (which continues to change) in my next post later today.
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Leo! Thanks for writing this blog; it helps me feel connected to our wonderful Dauphin Island. PLEASE keep posting about it and keep up the message of hope.
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LEO,
Thanks for writing this blog.
Jimmy
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Leo, your blog is a much needed service to those who care about our gulf coast environment…I don’t consider myself an avid “tree hugger” but I do love nature and care deeply about our environment…This horrific oil spill needs the full attention of everyone…We are all victims of this historic event…We all will suffer and so will future generations…We hold our futures in our own hands…It is up to us to stop this flow of oil, clean up the mess, and prevent future similar oil leaks in our precious waters….
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