Crush is ALIVE!

This morning has been a great one. Today is Brice's birthday and last night I put on my "chef's hat" and made some cupcakes for his party at the daycare today. No. I don't really have a chef's hat, but it would be cool. I'm not a baker either, but Betty Crocker and I can make some fantastic teamwork :)

So, this morning I send B and B off to work and daycare with cupcakes in tow. Brice knows he is having yet another party today and is yelling "I'm so excited, I'm so excited!" He will have sugar withdrawals for the next couple of days from all this birthday partying!

After they left I was having my quiet time and doing my normal morning routine when I threw back the curtains to let some sunlight in and there was CRUSH!

Let me give you a little backstory on Crush. Crush is our next door neighbor. He lives in the lot next to ours and he comes out a couple times each week to eat and stretch his legs, get water and let us know he's still there. He and I chat sometimes, but his is more of a "hiss". He has been getting more and more comfortable with us, but we give him his space. He is a protected turtle and no one can do anything to that lot while he is living there. We like to think of Crush as one of our family members.

Soooo. Last week, I was driving home on a road near our house and saw a turtle that had been killed in the road. Immediately my heart sank, because it was close to our house and I was afraid that it might be Crush. I had Brice in the car, so I didn't say anything and just went home, all the while hoping he would come out at anytime and show himself. For a week . . .no sign of Crush. I was beginning to believe that he was gone. It was sad for me, because I had become a big fan of his and enjoyed watching him stroll around our back yard. . .letting himself in and out of our fence.

But this morning I was overjoyed to see him in the back yard! I ran out with the camera and he, ofcourse is hissing and kind of cranky. So I perch myself and just start talking with him and he starts walking toward me! Now my first thought was "is this his attack mode?" Turtles are not very fast, but Crush works out, I think, because he can run. This wasn't a run, though. He was just casually walking toward me, as if he WANTED his picture taken. We had a little photo session and I told him how glad I was that he was back and to stay away from the roads!

Now, having a turtle next door and a family of bunnies in the lot behind us, you would think we were living on "Old Macdonald's Farm." There are animals that I am a little fearful of, but it amazes me how the turtle next door has made me appreciative of God's creatures. To think that each animal was created with intricate detail and loving care is wonderful, but how much more wonderful were we created!

I look at the details on Crush's shell and wonder what caused this scar and that scratch. Crush cannot hide those things and no matter how hard we try, neither can we. The Lord knows my scars and sees those scratches, but I am His creation, made with love and created to worship Him. So when I look at Crush, I give thanks to the Lord for He knows us inside and out and He alone knows how to heal those wounds and buff those scratches for His glory and purpose.