Keeping our Center ~ Day 128

Without the pandemic, yesterday would have been our mission trip crew’s first work day on the Appalachia Service Project (ASP) in Kentucky. This would have been my 12th trip helping the people of Appalachia make their homes warmer, safer and drier. I have worked with some excellent crews and met some amazing people and I’m feeling a bit nostalgic about that so I thought I’d share some ASP memories with you this week.

One of the odd tenants of ASP is: thou must save the turtles! You see, there are wonderful big old box turtles and snapping turtles that wander their way out onto the highways of Appalachia and are liable to be crushed under the wheels of a truck unless some kind souls stop and help them across. Single-minded creatures that they apparently are, you must always take them the direction they are heading, or they’ll simply turn around and head back out onto the road!

Over the years many, many, many turtles have been saved by ASP crews. But there is a deeper lesson here to be gleaned.

On ASP (or in life for that matter), it’s easy to become as single-minded as that turtle. You figure you have a job that you’ve come down there to do and, by golly, you intend to get it done, come hell or high water (both of which I’ve seen down there). In this state of mind, it’s easy to rush back and forth from the center you’re staying at to your work site without paying much attention in-between. Watching for turtles requires you to think about something other than yourselves and your project for a little bit. 

It feels to me like that could be a spiritual motto for life on a daily basis: slow down, be aware of your surroundings, and take care of the little guy or gal.

A word of caution, however. If you happen to run across a snapping turtle, use a shovel!

Love & Light!

Kaye