The Whale: Fear Not!

A story I had long forgotten ... a true story! ... sent recently by a dear friend. 

One of the divers on the rescue team works on the crab pot lines that held the female humpback whale near the Farallon Islands. The weight of the crab pots was pulling the animal down. Marine Mammal Center photo via Associated Press

The Whale

If you read a recent front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso and a line tugging in her mouth.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate ) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.

When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around as she was thanking them.

Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.

[If you're interested in reading the original December 2005 story, here it is from The San Francisco Chronicle:  Daring Rescue of whale off Farallones]

P's e-mail arrived at a good time -- providence?  I was once again going through my "Tasmanian Devil" spinning and fretting over some things to the point of sorrow and tears.  But, P's story of The Whale reminded me of the necessity of turning my burdens to friends, rather than just keeping it all to myself to deal with alone.

It seems we all have things we get tangled in, burdens that worry us and pull us down, at times barely keeping our noses above the edge of the water, swimming for all we're worth in a sea of troubles.   Fortunately, the Lord sends special friends -- like angels -- into our lives to help cut us free from our bonds and traps.  I think of the many times in the Bible where God speaks to various individuals or sends an angel to deliver His message.  It is interesting -- and instructive -- how each time God, or the angel, begins with these words: "Fear not." 

Genesis 15:1 "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."

Deuteronomy 31:8  "And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed."

Isaiah 54:4  "Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more."

Matthew 10:28  "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

Luke 2:10  "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."

Luke 8:50  "But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole."
 
Luke 12:7  "But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows."
 
Luke 12:32  "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
 
John 12:15  "Fear not, daughter of Zion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt."
 
Acts 27:24  "Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee."

Revelation 1:17 "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last."

When the Lord draws near, we must not fear.  And He is always near.  Fear not!

Remember How To Fly

Another one of those great e-mails I received a long time ago from a friend ...

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I  saw  a kid from my class was walking home from school.  His name was Kyle.  It  looked like he was carrying all of his books.  I thought to myself,  "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?  He must  really be a nerd."   I had quite a weekend planned  (parties and a football game with my  friend tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.

As I was walking, I  saw a bunch of kids running toward him.  They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt.  His glasses went flying, and I saw  them land in the grass about ten feet from him.  He looked up and I saw  this terrible sadness in his eyes.  My heart went out to him.   So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said,  "Those guys are jerks.  They really should  get lives."  He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!"  There was a big  smile on his face.  It was one of those  smiles that  showed  real gratitude.

I  helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he  lived.  As it turned out, he lived near  me, so I asked him  why I had  never seen him before.  He said he had gone to private school  before now.  I would have never hung out with a private school kid before.  We talked all the way home, and I carried his books.  He turned out  to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes.  We hung all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him.  And my friends thought the same of him.

Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again.  I stopped him and said, "Damn boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!"  He just laughed and handed me half the books.
  
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.  When we were seniors, began to think about college.  Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke.  I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem.  He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.  Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd.  He had to prepare a speech for graduation.  I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak.

Graduation day, I saw Kyle.  He looked great.  He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school.  He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.  He had more dates than me and all the girls loved him! Boy, sometimes I was jealous.

Today was one of those days.  I could see that he was nervous about his speech.  So, I smacked him on the back and said,  "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!"  He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled.  "Thanks," he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began.   "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped  you make it through those tough years.  Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends.

I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.  I am going to tell you a story."  I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met.  He had planned to kill himself over the weekend.  He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so  his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.  He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved.  My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."  I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.  I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.
  
Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.  Never underestimate the power of your actions.  With one small gesture you can change a person's life.  For better or for worse.  God puts us all  in each other's lives to impact one another in some way.  Look for God in others.

"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."

Celebrating A Life Well Lived

Yesterday I attended a memorial service for a dear friend who recently passed away.  She was in her 80s ... a woman with whom I started my teaching career.  P made it clear to those close to her that she did not want a "funeral."  She wanted it to be a celebration where friends would come together in joy.  The service turned about to be exactly that, with many of us friends coming together for the first time in many years.

I was fortunate to have visited her in the hospital as she battled double pneumonia, spending close to two weeks in ICU.  This was not the first time she had pneumonia, but this time at her age, it was just too much for her body to kick.  She was too weak to talk, the disease causing her to cough if she did.  But, her eyes glowed at me with such love, telling me she was grateful for my visit, as well as the presence of others there as well. 

P and her husband had married late in life with him having died close to ten years ago.  They never had children, but along the way, she and her dearly missed husband had "adopted" several, with many "adopting" them as family.  P was originally born in Spain, so her family was overseas.  Due to illness, P's brother and family were unable to make it to the hospital before her passing and likewise unable to attend yesterday's service. 

I was even more fortunate, however, to have spent the first five years of my teaching career working with her.  She was an inspiration, both professionally and relationally.  P was the most Christ-like person I ever knew.  She was hospitable, generous, and charitable.  Foremost, she was always serving others.  Even in her retirement years, she kept active and energetic by serving.  She cooked fabulous meals for a family whose wife and mother has MS.  She did weekly shopping at Sam's for a group of cloistered nuns.  She supported a ministry of a colleague who left teaching to go into mission work full-time.  I'm sure these are just skimming the surface of what all P did. 

P serves as an inspiration of a life well lived.  She is one of those rare, special individuals a person meets in life who always "points the way" to others as they walk along this Road of Life.   She was the hands and feet of Christ to others, the faithful servant bringing a cool cup of water to others.