Have I told you I’ve been going to the zoo every week to visit Baby Brazos? Last fall after I decided I was going to be leaving my job, my mom gifted me a zoo membership. She said I’d soon have the time to visit whenever I wanted. That gift plus the surprise of a new baby elephant is all I needed to add a zoo trip to my weekly schedule.
My love for the Fort Worth Zoo runs deep. I grew up going there and every time I make the right curve towards the African Savannah section, I think of the zoo bumper sticker my grandma had on her car when I was a kid, the hours we spent on this very same pavement and the simple pleasure we shared of leaning over the fence toward our favorite giant mammals.
Since I started my weekly trips this year, I’ve learned a lot about elephants at the Fort Worth Zoo, most especially how careful they are with Baby Brazos. For instance, he’s only out in the enclosure if the weather is ideal and even then, he’s only out with his mom. The rest of the elephants are kept in other sections of the exhibit so the two of them can safely wander as they wish. Two of the three times I’ve attempted a visit, he’s been inside, warm and cozy. Last week, though, it was a gorgeous Texas winter day when I stopped by — the kind you try to remember in the depths of summer heat hell, the kind that makes you chase the sun and its warmth all day long.
When I arrived at Elephant Springs, there he was with his mom, mimicking her moves as she snacked on a late lunch of hay. As I watched, I listened to the zoo keeper answer people’s questions. How much does he weight right now? 600 pounds. Wow, is he just really dense? Yes, elephants are very dense creatures. When was he born? About four months ago in October. Looking at this baby boy, you’d have no idea he was 600 pounds. How can something that’s practically a newborn weigh more than a man yet still appear to be tiny? My favorite was watching him walk. He’s wobbly on his feet, like a toddler in galoshes.
At one point that day, I watched him lumber off about 5 yards and lay down for an early-afternoon nap. He had found a perfect patch of sun, but stayed there only a few minutes before ambling back up to his feet and heading closer to his mom. Brazos laid down again, just inside her shadow and stayed still for the next 20 minutes. I was awed. This creature, already mightier and stronger than I’ll ever be, wanted to feel safe. Then I remembered something I had read that morning in Luke 1, when an angel is telling Mary about her future baby. “The power of the Most High will overshadow you” he tells her.
To be honest, lately I feel a lot like Baby Brazos. I’m a toddler running in galoshes as I figure out how to build a sustaining career of writing on my own. In the process, I’ve been forced to reckon with my cravings for security, like a regular paycheck, benefits, a predictable track of work to ride for however long I want. Those things are gifts, absolutely, and gifts that God provided with past jobs, but we’re making our way through something new right now. I hardly know how I’m going to spend each this day — looking beyond that to summer, fall and beyond, I can’t even. On some days, it’s a long, steady stream of overwhelming what-ifs.
Then here comes this beloved baby elephant to remind me we’re always welcome in the shadow of the one who’s promised to protect us. We’re always welcome in the shadow of his wings and the palm of his hands. He will overshadow us and keep watch as we learn our new and wild lands.
