And it was fun. Typically, extended time with this group has induced a stress response that I try to avoid, but this trip was different. My dad smiled and seemed to enjoy himself for the first time since becoming seriously ill last summer. We did miss one brother who was MIA. He is on perpetual vacation in Jamaica working for the Peace Corps. ;)
We camped at Myrtle Beach State Park, which is right on the beach and one of the only remaining maritime forests on the east coast. The beach is still primitive with dunes and sea oats. There are no buildings or lights bordering the shore. There is a pier for fishing.
Early Saturday morning my brother, his girls and I met with a park ranger to go on a Loggerhead Turtle hike along the beach. It is egg laying season and we were on the lookout for new nests. When turtles lay their eggs in populated areas, the nests are moved to this beach where they are protected until they hatch out later in the summer.
We were told to look for turtle "trails". At high tide the mamma turtle drags herself up to the dunes where she digs a nest and lays her eggs (lots of them). Then she drags herself back to the sea. We found a trail!
The eggs are left on their own until they hatch and return to the sea. Turtles hatch at night and follow the brightest light they see, which in nature would be the horizon. If the eggs hatch on the popular "strip" with all the hotels, etc., they become confused and can't find the ocean. They will follow the hotel lights, or even flashlights people are carrying on the beach at night. They often die as a result of following the wrong lights. They become disoriented and never find the sea, often becoming food for predators.
There is a profound lesson for us humans in this behavior. We have been given a One True Light to follow. How often do we follow the worldly lights instead? These false lights ultimately lead to darkness. Only the One True Light leads to life. And there are so many lights to follow, it is often very difficult to discern which one to go to. Like the baby turtles, we come into this world into circumstances out of our control. We don't choose where we are born, or to whom we are born to. We don't have a "turtle patrol" to pick us up and move us to a safer location. The world shines many lights for us, most are very bright and appeal to our human nature. We often chase after those lights only to find they weren't what they appeared. There is always that One True Light, which may be a bit dimmer from a distance, but is constant and unchanging. That is the light we must place our focus on. With this Light, we will find life. What lights are you following?
"I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life." John 8:12 HCSB
