Lions See

Last week, it was my joy, to take my oldest son Owen into the Florida Everglades as his graduation gift. He received his bachelor’s degree in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology from NMSU.  He has worked so hard and we are so proud.  He’s also always wanted to live on an island or near the beach. And, while we were in Florida, Owen was offered a job in the Florida Keys, at a marine biology and adventure camp for youth.…a perfect fit. 

Our trip to the Everglades was such a joyous adventure and the one-on-one time was a gift.  But when the job offer came in, and we found out they needed him to start immediately, everything became a whirlwind.  We scrambled to knock out last minute details and schedule a physical and a fingerprinting for background checks. I felt equal parts overwhelming joy and excitement for his new adventure, as well as deep sadness that I would have to drive away from my boy.  I’m still feeling it now.  I’d never hold my sons back from living an adventure or taking a risk.  That’s how we raised them.  And the world needs what they have – the world needs men like them.  But it sure happened fast.  And it’s hard to share and be really far away from a big piece of your heart.

Owen is an unbelievably special person and I’m lucky that he’s mine. As we visited beautiful places and stood knee-deep in the water somewhere, I found myself just watching him. I just wanted to take it all in. I want to fully be in the moment. I wanted to fully see him. To fully enjoy him. To be with him – no distractions. 

I wonder if some of my sadness has come from moments where I haven’t done those things. When I haven’t looked into his eyes or matched his excitement about something.  I’m a little bit more Martha than Mary (Luke chapter 10). I’m great at seeing the need and the task that needs to be done. I’m a good listener, but I’ve realized I listen on foot while I’m doing something else. I’m a multitasker.  But another definition for that, I guess, can be “distracted’.  Real lions, see fully.  

When I turned 35, we went to Paray’s Wildlife Sanctuary on the east side of Lusaka, and I was allowed to crouch down just outside the lion cage and get at eye-level with a lion called Mauser. we locked eyes and it was like he was looking right through me. It startled me!  Maybe he was sizing me up as a potential meal, but there was power in the way he saw me and took me in. God sees and knows us just like that.  

You have looked deep into my heart, Lord, and you know all about me. 

– Psalm 139:1 (CEV)
This summer, Owen will undergo five weeks of team training, lifeguarding, and earning multiple certifications that will serve him throughout this opportunity and throughout his life and career.  It’s like a bootcamp / academy for biologists and adventurers.  He will learn to operate small ocean boating vessels around the southern Florida Keys. He will learn to sail, spearfish, and windsurf. He will have the opportunity to snorkel and kayak. They’ll go deep sea fishing. He’ll catch sharks and learn to tag them for monitoring and research, and he will introduce students to the wild mangroves, reefs, beaches, waters, and creatures of the area.  He’s an amazing teacher; a wealth of knowledge; and the kids will absolutely love him!  I can’t wait to hear all about it. 

While he’s learning all that, I’m going to learn to see. Truly see. That’s where I want to grow today.  I don’t want to get so caught up in what needs to be done or the pressing tasks around me that I miss people, especially those who I love the most and who are the most important.

Lions see others fully.