30 Whales Die, New Fin Whale Videos & Practicing Resurrection








   A few days ago I went to pick up my daughter for her second visit to the island this summer. We skimmed across the bay on this gorgeous bright day. I did not know what awaited me. We never do. 

I saw spouts ahead. Of course, fin whales. They hang out here for the summer, feeding and lounging and being their own spectacular selves. For these creatures, the second largest whales in the world, their very existence speaks of a lavish, extravagant God.



















And here, they came yet closer . .. .






And here, when my heart stopped . . .











This has been an extraordinary summer of whales----from humpbacks throwing their impossible weight from water to sky, over and over, sending the ocean itself skyward into foam. Orcas filling the bay, their fins slicing water. And a Sei whale sighting, my first. But not all the whale news has been good. 

NOAA reports that 30 whales have washed up dead around the islands of the western Gulf of Alaska. Even closer to home, right here on Kodiak Island, 9 fin whales, have been found floating or beached, one just a few miles away. NOAA is calling it "an unusual mortality event." It's almost three times the usual rate of beachings and die-offs. 



(Photo from NOAA. Bears feeding on fin whale carcass near Larsen Bay, 7 miles from us)

Everyone loves a mystery, but not this kind. Marine mammal specialists are baffled. Extensive studies are underway, but the best guess hazarded so far is a toxic algae bloom flourishing in "the Blob," the massive swath of warm water infecting and affecting the entire West coast, from Mexico to Alaska. Massive bird die-offs, sickened seals and sea lions have all been blamed on both the Blob and the "Godzilla El Nino."


(map of the "blob")

I am shaken. These leviathans suddenly appear fragile, vulnerable. I count on their presence every summer to expand our vocabulary of wonder, to remind us of our insignificance, to hint at the grandness of God. 



I do believe in global warming, because I see its effects and realities close-up here in Alaska. And I believe in a sovereign God who loves His creation and desires us to love it as well. But I can't fix this. I feel helpless. I only know to pay attention, to care for the ground and water at my feet, to love those around me. I turn to Wendell Berry in these times:


“So, friends, every day do something that won't compute .

... Ask 

the questions that have no answers. Put your faith in two 

inches of humus that will build under the trees every 

thousand years ... Laugh. Be joyful though you have 

considered all the facts ... Practice resurrection.”


                                  ― The Country of Marriage



 I pick up my daughter. I rejoice in my sons' happiness at seeing their sister. 



 







I prepare for the arrival of 18 in a few days, for the 3rd Harvester Island Wilderness Workshop. We'll sit together over words of truth and hope. I'll tell them about the whales. We'll look about this beautiful world with fierce, observant eyes. We  will consider all the facts of living this life, and then  . . .


















Then we will laugh,

because together we are practicing

 resurrection.






















9 comments:

  1. Your loving spirit shines through in this piece, Leslie. Thank you God for bringing Leslie and this boy-now-man together. Thank you for bringing one well-acquainted with grief to bring another to You, who knows and holds and transforms all our grief into good.

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  2. It's amazing to us that you found each other, with him being in such need. But it is not so amazing to God--he planned it!

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  3. Such a beautiful piece, Leslie! Thank you. (couldn't get the videos to work, though I loved the still photos.)

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  4. And what of a God of Love who became a man, emptying himself of all glory, going straight from his baptism into the wilderness (because he was led there--what God?!?) to be tempted by the accuser. My mind can't get around the kind of Love that would lead, and let himself be led, into that weak, dark place. But he came to regain paradise so that our broken fellowship can be mended. Lord, let that sink into new layers of our soil. May it be so.

    "What is not possible when you surrender to the razing, purifying love of Jesus who loves you body and soul?"

    This. Yes, yes and amen.

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  5. This really speaks to my soul. I can "practice resurrection" at all times because Chriat is risen indeed. How quickly I forget and never seem to fully comprehend! May I lean into this more and more. I have felt so defeated and boxed in lately....and hopeless. My beautiful, 13 year old son has been terminally diagnosed with brain cancer, and I have fought so hard to find him promising treatment. Yet, the most hopeful thing was just shut off from him because of regulation.bI must remember though that resurrection is a real thing, and I can be victorious even in the midst of this great pain.

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    1. I am so sorry for this immense sorrow you must be experiencing. I have an almost 13 year old son, so I know just how precious they are. I pray you do not lose hope in the resurrection Jesus promises. And that it begins even now.

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  6. Blessings, Leslie, on your upcoming gathering, and thank you for this dose of Wendell Berry. His words and his characters always turn me toward light.

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  7. I like your blog. I like all the stuff connected with the ocean and the fish, wish i lived in the island, it is my big dream. I love writing and i want to see on the bay and feel the breeze, write something really good and not stupid texts as an answer on can you write an essay for me, i am so tired of it.

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