Better Late Than Never

Yonder is the sea, great and wide
creeping things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great.
There go ships,
and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. Psalm 104:25-26

Oops. You may have noticed that in past years I have acknowledged World Ocean Day, in part because I am a self-described ocean junkie. Somehow I missed WOD last Wednesday, so I will say something a week later.

For the past fifteen years or more we have visited an ocean somewhere and I am deeply moved by the rhythm of the tides, the variety of creatures great and small, and even the smell which varies from location to location. What a marvellous mystery that the great waters of the earth inhale and exhale twice day, drawn in and out by the gravitational pull of the satellite we call the moon. Witnessing these tides can be a meditation exercise in itself.

We are often told that humans have managed to sully what once seemed like an inexhaustible and unassailable treasure, pillaging species of fish,using the oceans as our sewer and garbage dump. So I was glad for some good news this World Ocean Day. In the Bay of Fundy, which has been short-listed as one of the Natural Wonders of the World, the North Atlantic Right whale has made a comeback, from a dangerously low 300 or so to between 450 and 500. Right whales have been described as the most endangered large mammals on the planet.This turn-around has happened in less than fifteen years because governments decided to change shipping lanes to protect these whales. We have also been told that some of the fish stocks which were considered virtually destroyed are stronger than expected and that recovery is happening for others.

Most of us may be a distance from saltwater, but all our lives are affected by the health of the seas. God give us the grace to treat them with respect.

Thoughts?