Lily goes whale watching

[ed. note; Lily emailed to me the remarks below, during her visit to New Zealand]

Notes from an American Down Under, by Lily
28 December 2005

"And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly . . . and God saw that it was good."
Genesis 1: 21

It struck me this evening that, at least in my KJV, whales are virtually the only specific animal species mentioned by name in the first chapter of Genesis. I spent my morning today whale watching off the east coast of New Zealand's South Island - and after that experience, it doesn't seem to me that it was an unusual choice to single out these magnificent creatures for special mention in the Bible's first account of creation.

There's an indescribable joy in seeing a whale break the surface of glassy water at dawn, after his long rise towards the light from his feeding grounds on the dark and distant ocean floor. My sister and I, along with our fellow passengers, would watch quietly as each whale would rest several minutes near the surface of the ocean, breathing deeply to send the vital oxygen into his bloodstream. After a while, when he had gathered his strength, he would slowly rock himself forwards and back, gaining momentum for his next dive. Then he would arch his back and descend, almost perfectly vertical in his progress to the bottom. Our last glimpse was always the graceful sweep of the powerful tail, spectacularly outlined against a backdrop of snowy mountains and a vast expanse of ocean, rose tinted in the pure morning light. As each whale sank beneath the calm water, on his way to a depth equivalent to the height of three Empire State Buildings, I felt a renewed sense of awe, and could not but stand in silent wonder and reverence before the beauty of the natural world.

The guide told us that these ocean cruises average one to two whale sightings per voyage, but we received a gift of no less than ten sightings in two hours - all adult male sperm whales, each measuring fifty feet long or more. It was a truly lovely and humbling experience. If anyone out there gets the chance to go whale watching, I would strongly suggest you make the most of it! 2005 has in some respects been a challenging year for me, but this was a peaceful and purifying way to bring it to a close.

Happy New Year, everyone!