LOVING COMPLETELY WITHOUT COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING

Today was a bit singular for one small event, at least.

As I was driving into my hometown of Bartow in pursuit of an order of crab rolls, I saw a gopher tortoise crossing the four lane highway which I was presently negotiating.

I debated whether I would go on or whether I would assist one of the slowest creatures on the planet in his quest for the other side of the road.

I opted for the second of the two available options.

With this, I pulled onto the right shoulder of the road, stepped out of my car, walked across an intersection, took a sharp right (while all the while watching for traffic) picked up the unfortunate creature as he had reached the halfway point of the first two lanes of traffic, doing a 180 and finally laying the tortoise in the grass; hoping against hope that he wouldn’t do his own 180 and, thereby, putting his life in danger all over again.

Fast forward six or eight hours, and my wife and I were traveling down the same highway on our way to our church which happens to be located in Bartow. And lo and behold, I noticed a late model sedan parked on the right shoulder of the road. And then looking to my left, I saw a middle-aged man standing across the four lanes of traffic… and a gopher tortoise at his feet!

I could only surmise that, a few hours after my heroic rescue attempt, this same tortoise “got a wild hair” and decided he would, once again, put his life in danger and attempt to negotiate those same four lanes of traffic.

And like me, the fellow on the other side of the highway decided to assist the poor creature. However, unlike me, this time around the stranger walked him over to the far side of the road, and deposited him in the grass there.

Pt. 2

As a counselor I tell the story of the woman who is walking down the village sidewalk and falls into a manhole. Of course, we would classify that as an accident. However, if the same woman walked down the same sidewalk and fell into the same manhole thirty more times, we wouldn’t be able to classify what was happening as an accident.

Not unlike that non-descript little tortoise which was so intent in getting himself killed.

There are those among us whom we love, but will never understand. And very much like the turtle and the accident prone woman, they seem to be doing their best to stay in trouble.

There is a scene in the movie, “A River Runs Through It” in which one of the major characters, a pastor, can be seen standing behind his pulpit in the process of delivering a sermon to his parishioners. 

Following are the words he spoke that day:

"Each one of us here today will,

at one time in our lives...

look upon a loved one who is in need

and ask the same question.

"We are willing to help, Lord...

but what, if anything, is needed?"

It is true we can seldom help

those closest to us.

Either we don't know what part

of ourselves to give...

or more often than not,

the part we have to give...

is not wanted.

And so it is those we live with

and should know who elude us...

but we can still love them.

We can love completely...

without complete understanding."

Dear readers, I cannot leave you without asking the ever-pressing question.

Why does the tortoise cross the road?

To get to the other side, of course.

by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright Pending

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