A note for 2013, Mama Turtle and Peace

A note of 2013, Mama Turtle and Peace

By Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta


2013 will be soon passed . Change of the year, the earth still rotates . I'm still using a body brace , walking slowly like a mama turtle . Today after almost 2 full months not cooking, I cooked lunches . Usually we eat sandwiches and fruit during the day. But I cooked today because there was a guest,  an Indonesian , a student of ICRS Yogya stopped by to bring some packets to us from our family in Yogya. I cooked brown rice , fish flavored garlic , turmeric , lemongrass and black pepper fried in butter , and baked pear .

Making meals with the techniques was inspired from roasted tomatoes vegetable limey,  cooking cucumber ala the Halmahera, North Molucass, Indonesia,  roasted garlic and onion in the style of Italian and California saute green beans. Roasted pear  came as the idea of the best restaurant in New Haven when I celebrated my husbands birthday with him there. Everything used to make delicious healthy vegetable.  It was Farsijana's meals. I explained when asked about his performance all the bright and unusual.

I cook food with roasting because I like the natural smell of the roasted vegetables . Rice brown medley consists grains  from Trade Joe's production came out very delicious after garnishing with some butter too . We enjoyed lunch.  But I went to rest, leaving talked with our guest, pak Andreas Susanto .

I' ve been thinking about this topic for longer, since I am willing to be called mama turtle. Now I want to write about mama turtle to end 2013. Actually mama turtle started when I was still at Ventura County Medical Center when I was required to use a body brace each time out of bed. Body brace is made of a mixture of plastic , foam rubber and nylon . The texture of the material body brace is slippery, dense , hard and sounds when tapped - tap . Because of its dense , like a turtle shell .

I have used to allow my  spine ( T - 11 ) and ( L - 4 ) to recover .    Two months ago, we had an accident, wrecked cars, nearly on fire but God saved us. I knew since two days after discharge from the hospital , about God's purpose for my writing during recovery , since only the fingers I can with minor typing. I wrote about the plight of my brothers and sisters in Papua. Since then I' ve written 28 articles in Indonesian and 28, the same article translated in English.  Strength I received, like a turtle, is the power of God. I've always loved the turtle, about 13 years ago, after I returned from Bunaken and Lihaga islands in North Sulawesi, Indonesia where my husband and I celebrated the millennium year there. 

 At the time, I was fascinated by the beauty of the turtles in the ocean floor around the islands of Bunaken and Lihaga before we camped on the island to celebrate the turn of the millennium. Bunaken island is a tourist island where people frm all over the world come to enjoy the underwater beauty. Here I also enjoy the elegance of Napoleon fish.

 

After I returned to Yogyakarta, I decided to have two small turtles which I gave the name of Buna and Buni to remind me to Bunaken where I saw a large turtle ont he sea floor when I was snorkeling in the deep sea after the ship released groups of divers . I remember being very scared because there I was no foothold , but I could snorkeling to wait until the ship back to pick us up,  about an hour duration .

Buna and Buni and lived with us a few years in the pond in front of our house in Yogyakarta . the One time we were in the U.S. for a long time, we got the news that two little turtles left the pool when it was full of water during raining.  I am very sad to hear, but not in a hurry to replace Buna and Buni .

I like to watch Buna and Buni cooperate when they take turns going to climb up to sleep over the mangrove wood we put in the pond.

Approximately nearly a year after two small turtles disappeared , I decided to find another two small turtles which are still located in pond at our home . I call their names , Bumi and Buma. I still want names similar to Buni and Buna, so both sets of new turtles that I gave the name of Bumi and Buma. . Bumi in Indonesian means " earth " in the English . Earth in west grove vocabulary associated with feminine traits , therefore, the female tortoise I call Earth . But in my opinion , Bumi or earth must have both components of gender , so I gave the name to the stud turtle  whose body is smaller than  Bumi,  which is the male turtle to be called Buma .

I further  understan the relationship between a turtle that I saw in Bunaken in North Sulawesi, with my little turtle name Bumi or Earth after we were in China . Turtles in my reality actually have a particular cosmic connection .

In Xian, the ancient city of China which was known as the famous  center of silk road trip from  east to west , I was struck by the philosophical lifelike that the earth is actually held by the turtles . Even in, the Great Mosque in Xi'an , there are two turtles that carry the two stone tablets inscribed with China that includes Sahadat .  Islamic understanding in China as seen on mosques , putting a turtle as God's creation first brought creed is a statement of confidence.

In the first stone, Sahadat show the Muslim Creed says , I testify that there is no god but Allah. In the second rock, says I testify that Muhammad is the apostle ( messenger ) of God " .

Two stone carved as two tablets Sahadat reminds me of two stone tablets that Moses was chosen by God to receive the Ten Commandments from God.  The law of God is calld the Law of the Torah in Hebrew. Until now in the Jewish temple, Torah law was issued, and was read to the congregation herded Judaism as it is also acknowledged within Christian tradition as part of the legal details revealed by God to human beings. It declares:
1. You shall have no other gods before me
2. Do not make statues for worship
3. Do not mention the name of the Lord in vain
4. Keep the Sabbath holy
5. Honor your parents
6. Do not kill
7. Do not commit adultery
8. Do not steal
9. Do not lie
10. Do not covet

As a Christian, observing the two tables of stones which brought the turtle , I have reflected two stone tablets of the law of Moses , which makes brings me to the two laws given by Jesus Christ is the Love your  God  with all your heart,  and love your neighbor as yourself .

 I  understand experiences turtle and named it as "Bumi"  (earth) fo my little one turtle before I went  to Xi'an , then strengthens me about the human pilgrimage toward God . One day after I came home from the office and forwarded to the visiting group working at the grass roots , I was very anxious for no reason. Anxiety that prompted me to write a prayer and a post on my blog, so I feel uneasy whenever I will rest in the hands of God. I chose the picture which has two turtles carrying two sacred creed stones for my blog titled "Farsijana's journey to God.

http://farsijanajourneytogod.blogspot.com/2011/04/understanding-myself-bringing-to-go.html

Maybe there will be a lot of confusion as if to put the two stones that contain the Islamic Creed I believe the same meaning as the ummah in general. This answer seems too simple, I am a Christian, who sees the truth in  he expression of Islamic ummah of the Great Mosque in Xian, which reminds me of my own experience as a turtle named " Bumi" and then I understood that there was a view that the turtle holds the earth works. Does naming my little turtle is a coincidence, I do not know, but I admit my understanding of the relationship between "Bumi”, my little turtle with turtles as they did with the Islamic ummah in Xian which saw turtles also recognizes and brings creed on their back ?  In the minds of Muslims Xi'an , changed the role of turtles brought creed because that is the belief that bringing the ummah of Islam saw God the Creator of the earth . Turtles brought creed indicates a transformation in the understanding of the Islamic ummah Creator of the world is God .

Now I appreciate myself as a turtle , I allow myself to call me a mama turtle . Humans need a symbol . The accident we experienced allowed me to use a shield , slow road . New properties that exist on yourself is part of the character on the turtles . This character I 've received for a long time before an accident occurs . I had been prepared to understand the power of good turtle I found in Chinese mythology , and everyday I get along with the turtles in the pond at my house .

Together with the children who come every Saturday at our house to dance , I took them to the turtle conservation . I support the kids and also youth in Yogyakarta who care for the turtles . When we arrived at the Samas beach , the children are given a variety of activities , such as an explanation of their responsibilities in relation to the city of nature conservation , especially the environment which brings water from the river to the beach . Children are advised not to make plastic garbage in the river because it will drift out to sea where it is easily eaten by turtles think plastic like a jellyfish . Then the children under the care of the pool to which the care provided to the child recovery turtle captured members later suffered wounds to be healed . In this treatment pond turtles recovered children until ready to be released back into the sea .

I taught dance of turtles to children in front of the pool because there is a fairly wide sandy courtyard . Children were encourage to care to turtles by creating their movement along to the turtles. I asked the children to imagine the movement of the waves which carry mama turtle from the sea to the beach to look for nesting . Waves rolling slowly passed . Mama turtle crawling avoid the sun to find the location of spawning . We dance and dance has become one of the favored children .

The difference is very pronounced. Now I really feel like a mama turtle. Slow motion past the shock waves as  she continues to move toward the coast looking for a safe place to incubate the eggs into a sign about my current situation.  I have moved  slowly to keep writing because this is a safe way I write with the guidance of the Lord for the suffering of fellow citizens of Indonesia voicing on the violence that occurred in Papua.

I poured my imagination about mama turtle carrying a globe on her back motionless, spreading peace. A happy face is a gift from God that made peace with the responsibility to spread the glorious joy without feeling tired. When mama turtles passes through area, as if the whole universe with beautiful colors and bright welcome her.   Sun and moon company mama turtle. Peace welcomed and accepted as a force within ourselves , because from here , atonement in God can help me to keep writing and moving the voice of justice and the ability to lead to a harmonious life among citizens and nations around the world .
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