The Birthday Turtle

Today my mother would be 72 years old.  

Twenty years ago today was her last birthday on this earth.  She turned 52.  She died unexpectedly 10 months later.

I took a beautiful morning walk today, but it wasn't until I sat down with my devotional and looked at the date that I realized today is May 23rd.  "Oh!" I exclaimed to my husband, "it's my mother's birthday!"

Then I got busy with my day.  I am helping my sister with a real estate transaction.  I also have a huge weekend project going: cleaning out and organizing our garage!

As I was working in the garage around lunchtime, Annie came running down to me from the side yard. "Mommy! Come quick! Quick!"

I walked to the front yard, where a little box turtle was making its way from our flower beds to our ornamental shrubs.  We exclaimed over it, picked it up, took video, talked in silly voices, and generally just stood and admired it for a little while.  Then we went inside to have lunch.

Later in the afternoon, my husband had the radio on as I was cleaning in the garage, and a song came on that my mother loved.  "Oh," I thought, "Mom loved this song."  And then like a little breeze that wafted past, I realized again, it's my mother's birthday.

And then I cried.  God had winked at me, and I almost didn't see it.

You see: my mother loved turtles.  She LOVED them!  She would pull over on the side of the road and move them out of the way.  She just thought they were so sweet.  And I've had some strange little turtle instances over the years since her death.  After my miscarriage, a turtle appeared in our yard.  One day in law school I was feeling miserable (not long after she'd died), and a turtle showed up right in front of the school.  Et cetera: this has happened multiple times, so much so that when I am unhappy, I almost long to see a turtle for comfort!

I just couldn't believe that when Annie came to show me the turtle, I didn't make the connection! I was so distracted with my tasks and activities (did you know that there are apparently millions of types of screws in this world?  and that I'm sorting them all? does everyone have a husband who has every type of screw ever known to man in his garage??) that when we were enjoying the turtle, I didn't even think of my mom. We see a turtle in our yard maybe once a year, maybe more like once every two or three or four years! 

And yet, on her 72nd birthday, God gave me this sweet little gift. 

It truly made my day!