When my dwarf hamster, Suzie passed away, I told my friend I would never have a pet again. But God had other plans. In early March of 2016 on an unusually warm day, I gazed out onto our swimming pool. The water was clear, but the harsh winter winds had filled it with leaves and a few branches. A leaf on the edge floated along reminding me of a turtle. 

Opening the patio door, I stepped outside to take a closer look. It was a turtle! A turtle was swimming in my pool. I grabbed the net and tried to scoop it out. It swam to the deepest part of the pool. After a few tries, I was able to catch it. Thankfully, I had a large tank to keep it in until I  could figure out what to do.

Our neighbor who is a veterinarian came over and examined it. She said it was a boy. She advised me on his care should I decide to keep him. She also suggested other options if I didn’t want him. But once I thought up a name for him, I knew he was going to be mine. I named him, Applesauce. Don’t ask me why, I really don’t know myself. It just seemed to fit.

Through caring for Applesauce, I have learned a lot about turtles. He and I have such fun playing peekaboo. We’ve spent hours and hours together. He recognizes my voice and knows me. One time, Applesauce climbed up a wall sideways and through a tight gap in the chain-link fence of his enclosure. Turtles are great escape artists. I couldn’t find him in the back or front yard. He was gone. I frantically called his name and about a minute later, he crawled back home from underneath the neighbor’s fence.

Applesauce has become a part of my writing life too. On the back of Marigold and the Snoring King is an illustrated drawing of Applesauce. I’ve also outlined a middle-grade story about a young boy and a turtle which is tentatively called The Traveling Turtle. I’ve provisionally put him in another story too, but we’ll see.

Who would know that I would bond with a turtle? Or that I would find so much enjoyment and love from a reptile? God did. In these times of uncertainty, God sees us. He always knows what we need even when we don’t realize it ourselves. When we feel lonely or trapped, He brings things into our lives which give us freedom and life. I have learned never to say never because the never might be just what I needed.