Tortoise Ramblings

At church on Sunday, we sung the old Fanny Crosby hymn ‘To God be the Glory’, first published in 1875. The third verse starts:

Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;

It always reminds me of Alice in Wonderland. The Mock Turtle tells Alice: ‘‘When we were little… we went to school in the sea. The master was an old Turtle. We used to call him Tortoise-’

‘Why did you call him tortoise, if he wasn’t one?’ Alice asked

‘We called him Tortoise because he taught us,’ said the Mock Turtle angrily…’

One of the best-known lessons that a tortoise taught us is the fable ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’. Proud and speedy hare challenges slow-moving persistent tortoise to a race. Hare speeds ahead… takes a nap… tortoise passes sleeping hare and wins the race.

This tortoise taught us about determination and patience… and the dangers of arrogance and over-confidence.

Yesterday’s local news brought us the story of Theo, the 40kg teenage tortoise. Sixteen-year-old Theo was on show at the Norfolk Tortoise Club’s open day on Saturday, looking for a new loving home after growing too big for its previous owner.

Animal welfare consultant Thomas Griffiths said, ‘He’s getting towards being a young adult, so in human years he’s a similar sort of age. Soon he’ll start to realise that he likes girls.’

This tortoise taught us that tortoises need to be loved and accepted.

Tortoises… determined, patient, loved, accepted…

Fanny Crosby was blind throughout her life. This prolific poet and hymn writer would compose and refine complete hymns in her mind – often several a day – and then dictate them, showing determination, patience, love… and acceptance, saying:

‘It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it…’