Column: On ‘Holiday’

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By Rev. Heather A. M. Sinclair

More than 500 men, women and children pressed in as close as they could to the ropes in the hopes of getting the best view. People craned their necks when the motorcade rounded the corner and headed for its destination at the top of the pathway.

The crowd cheered her name with star quality—“Holiday!”

No, this was not the red carpet to the Oscars. “Holiday” is a loggerhead sea turtle. For almost two months, Holiday was a patient in the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Fla. Presumably, in an innocent effort to devour a tasty treat, Holiday had swallowed a large fishhook and almost seven feet of fishing line, which required surgery and weeks of supervised care. Holiday spent time in the company of dozens of other sea turtles who had unfortunate run-ins with boat propellers, mylar balloons and unhealthy waters. Finally, when she was healed, Holiday was paraded to the beach, cheered on by scores of people and as quickly as her strong flippers could take her, headed down the sand, into the water and disappeared into the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

From fishing hooks and discarded trash to careless attitudes about creation and deep-seated habits that take for granted our nature resources, humanity does a lot to make a mess of things in this world. Too often we choose hatred and anger, failing to love our neighbors, nevermind our enemies. We ignore the call of holy scriptures to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and welcome the stranger. We fail to speak truth to power or give voice to the voiceless. There is so much good that we could do, but so much that is left undone.

Then an endangered turtle is rescued. And there is a glimmer of hope. I was awed and humbled to witness Holiday’s release. It was incredible that hundreds of people gathered to watch just one of God’s amazing creatures set free into new life. That moment, like many other small moments in life, reminded me that we can do something—something that makes a difference.

We can smile at a lonely neighbor. Teach our children to speak boldly for themselves and for the kid who is bullied on the bus. Drop off a bag of food or clothing at Neighbor to Neighbor. Help a child with homework and send him or her to summer camp at the Boys and Girls Club. Listen and respond, respectfully, to opinions that are different from our own. Light a candle and say a prayer for peace. “Resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms their present themselves” (the United Methodist Baptismal Covenant).

Every now and then, perhaps more often than we give ourselves credit for, we find the balance between being overwhelmed with all the troubles of the world and blissfully pretending that things are not so bad. In that balance, we are called to action. Even small daily actions connect us in ways that bring hope and healing. People of faith discern that we are participants in God’s power to transform lives and the world. We respond to the call of the prophet Micah (6:8) “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

As Christians begin Lent, the season of preparation before the celebration of Easter, we are called to practices of spiritual discipline, self-reflection and repentance, turning away from sin and back toward God. Customarily, for many Christians, the season includes “giving up something”—chocolate, alcohol, games on our smartphones—in an effort to rid ourselves of temptation and draw closer to God. Personally, I prefer to add something to my Lenten discipline—family devotions, community service, more intentional time in rest and self-care, doing something to better the world. With this positive turn, I pray that I may share a glimmer of the hope that I have received.

One candle dimly lights the darkness. Several candles become a beacon. Many candles can go forth into the darkness to the share the light. May Holiday the turtle be a reminder that each day is a holy-day, blessed by God, and created as an opportunity for each of us to not be flooded by darkness and despair, but rather to make waves of light and hope. 

The Rev. Heather A. M. Sinclair is pastor of First United Methodist Church of Greenwich.

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