And then there’s love. I mean Freya, the sun loving 1322 pound walrus. Spotted earlier in Denmark, along the German shoreline and the Netherlands, Freya, named after the Norse goddess of love and beauty, found her way to Frognerklin Bay in Oslo, Norway. The problem is that Freya likes to sun herself and with the shore taken up by boats, she’s decided a boat is a perfect place to sleep in the sun.
There’s lots of sun up in the Nordic countries this time of year, sunrise in Oslo being 4:45 Am and sunset at just before 10 o’clock in the evening. We’re experiencing sunrise an hour later and sunset two hours earlier.
We may not have Freya the Nordic goddess but we do get seals at Sandy Hook from December to April. They, like Freya, are really extraordinary creatures along with all the other creatures found at Sandy Hook, protected by the Park Service. Remember, we may have 79-degree water temperature, but Freya prefers the 64 degrees in Oslo. Chilly, but if you look, you’ll see she has a lot of blubber to insulate her svelte body.
Prayer for the Day
Full of creatures, the sea beckons us to marvel in its variety,
For you have caused them all to come into being;
Tiny as the snails and mollusks that burrow into the wet sand,
Large as the walrus and whale playing in the wave, they are yours.
The beauty and variety of your creation astounds us –
May we always honor it by preventing its destruction.
In the name of the One who walked along the seashore,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
“The time has come,” the walrus aid, “to talk of many things. Of shoes and ships – and sealing wax – of cabbages and kings. And why the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs have wings.”
- Lewis Carroll, from “The Walrus and the Carpenter”
Wild animals are less wild and more human than many humans of this world.
- Munia Khan, Bangladeshi lawyer and poet, activist
Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing glory to God’s name,
And give to God glorious praise.
Say to God, “How wonderful are your deeds!
Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises toyour name.
Psalm 66: 1-4