My Aquarium Adventure

I love the Hyacinth Macaws!

As you probably already know, a couple weeks ago I had the great privilege of visiting the Tennessee Aquarium.

I hadn't visited the Aquarium for several years, but when I did visit a few weeks ago, I felt like everything was very familiar and fun. First of all, there's the Tropical Cove. The silently swimming sting rays and other fish contrast greatly with the loud and noisy macaws that shout forth and add their noise to the sounds of a rain forest!

But it's a completely different world once you enter the butterfly gardens...nice, relaxing music plays as you carefully take steps, being careful to not squish any of the winged beauties! Of course, cameras (mine included) are quite prevalent in this area, and lines will often be formed as many photographers impatiently wait for their chance to photograph a certain butterfly! I could stay in the butterfly gardens forever...they are just so pretty.

Penguins can achieve speed bursts of up to 20 mph!

After you check yourselves for any hitchhikers, you leave the butterfly gardens and go down a level to the next exhibit: Penguins Rock! Here, you enter an entirely different world, and the mood changes quite a bit. From stepping daintily and admiring the beautiful butterflies, you are now caught up in joyful playfulness of the penguins. There's a huge window where you can watch them, and there's even a list helping you identify the penguins with their names! Not to mention some really cool videos and fact sheets on this super-fast bird. I also liked the fake penguins with whom you could have your picture taken with...though they are no substitute for the real thing. I'm sure I could (again) just spend hours in the penguin exhibit, taking photo after photo. Penguins are just so cute and funny!

A Sand Tiger shark swims in the Secret Reef with
many other fish. 

After you finish playing with the penguins, you enter the dangers and hidden treasures of the Secret Reef. This is the last major exhibit of your tour; it's an absolutely mind-boggling, gigantic tank home to sharks (eek!) and many other kinds of fish. As you continue your journey, you continue viewing this tank from them many different viewing areas at different levels. The Sandbar and Sand Tiger Sharks continually make their rounds, swimming in endless circles around the perimeter of the tank. Meanwhile, smaller fish such as the Queen Trigger and others will dart here, and dart there, sometimes in great, beautiful numbers. All the while, beautiful, ocean-like music is played, and you almost feel like you are in the ocean yourself!

One small diversion from the almost endless Secret Reef is the Boneless Beauties exhibit. As you enter this area, just off of yet another level of the Secret Reef, you get to watch in wonder and delight at the many types of jellyfish that God created. So you can see better, most of the lights are turned off. However, there are some spotlights in a few of the jellyfish tanks which change colors, so one moment you'll be looking at a green jellyfish, and the next moment a purple one! Other tanks, such as the one featured in the photo, have no spotlights. The unique presence and absence of lighting, combined with the ocean music, all make for a very wonderful experience.

A West Coast Sea Nettle in the Boneless Beauties exhibit.

Rejoining the Secret Reef exhibit, you soon come to the bottom of the Secret Reef, in which you can enter the shark tunnel. In the shark tunnel, you are now directly under the Secret Reef tank, and can lay down on your back and watch the fish swim right over you. Or by you. Off in the distance, it's not uncommon to see a shark swim by in the murky depths. The lighting and architecture make the shark tunnel a wonderful part of the Aquarium.

I really treasure my visits to places such as the Tennessee Aquarium, because I normally don't see such a wonderful, diverse assembly of God's creation. I thanked Him for letting me see all these animals--it truly was a wonderful sight, to see how wonderfully diverse and unique God made all his animals. God didn't have to make animals--but he did. He created them so we can have more joy in life.

Another lesson I get from this is that in Heaven, the sharks and the butterflies will not have to be separated. The penguins and jellyfish will swim together like pals! I like to remember a favorite verse, which illustrates this topic very well:

"The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them..."They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD." ~ Isaiah 11:6 & 65:25

As this world keeps on deteriorating, I keep looking forward more and more to Heaven, where everything is wonderful and perfect, and all the animals will play together. Are you?