If we really want to help, we can
December 31, 2008 (Wednesday) LAST DAY OF 2008
When I came to preach for the pulpit committee in Rockport in October of 1963, A. G. Gardner and Jack Baird took me on a little tour of the area and introduced me to Rockport. They told me about the Aransas Wildlife Refuge and reported that the last count of the Whooping Cranes there was 28. A few weeks later the Department of the Interior would report 31 birds. They have returned every year since and the count this year is 270. (World-wide, wild and captive, the count has grown to 500, from 15 in 1941). One of the pairs brought back twins this time, an unusual occurrence. They are as large as their parents, but have the coloring of juveniles.
People come from all over the world to see the Whooping Cranes. Each family of birds requires one square mile of territory, so the requirement now is something like 90 square miles. No wonder the Aransas Wildlife Refuge is so large.
Isn’t it thrilling to see the successful growth of this endangered species. They had almost disappeared from the earth permanently when action was taken to save them.
When I see the success of this program I think of other successes we have had in my lifetime. We made up our minds to do something and we did it. “A man on the moon?” We decided to do it and became determined to do it. So we did it. (I say “we” because I pay taxes, but they’ll never get me up in one o’ them thangs). What? The five-foot tall magnificent Whooping Crane is disappearing? Save them? O.K. These examples and others show us we can do what we decide to do. Therefore, when I think of the many goals to help people attain their potential, I know these goals can be reached. If we want to reach them. Everywhere we look we see people hurting one way or another. If we decide to help, we can. What will we decide?
——————————————————————————————————
Read the Corpus Christi Caller article about the Whoopers and see the picture of the twins. Click here.