Designing in Life

Turtle Memories

Last night's conversation turned to Sparky, our now "living free and large" turtle.  We miss him.  You might think that a turtle is a turtle is a turtle, but I'm here to tell you, Sparky had a personality.  We found him to be (along with our cats) funny and cheap entertainment.

We never planned on keeping him after rescuing him from a swimming pool.  And when we found him looking longingly out the front window where his aquarium was, we knew where he really wanted to be.

So on a warm June afternoon, with granddaughters Chloe and Phoebe, we took Sparky about a half mile from our home to a beautiful pond.  Spotting many Eastern Painted Turtles with heads popped out of the water, we knew Sparky would be happy, and feel right at home.

We said our goodbyes, and sadly released him knowing it was the right thing to do.

The odds of a turtle surviving the first year are 1 in 100.  The odds of a turtle living after its first year are 100 to one.  He's a lucky guy, and I bet he knows it.

 

A Day of Hope

It seems so sad that the death of one person brings so much joy to so many people, yet I know how much despair that one man was responsible for.  The death of Osama Bin Laden rang through our country last night and throughout the world.

9/11 hit very close to home for me.  My daughter Beth, and my soon-to-be son-in-law Jim, were both in the Trade Towers on that fateful day.  They were some of the lucky ones, but many that they knew were not.

I hope that this day brings closure to those who lost loved ones, brings closer a country divided by anger and dispute and fills each and every one of us with the realization that life, for all its fragility, is something to be cherished – something that we must make the best it can possibly be.