My daughter Bekah's 23rd birthday was July 6. On July 19 we observed the second anniversary of her death. On her birthday Bekah gave us a very special present, a miracle as far as I am concerned. Here's what happened, but first you need to know about Bekah and turtles.

[Bek's best friend] was the butterfly; Bekah was the turtle. This was something they shared from the days of notes passed to and fro in high school. When Bekah died we buried her with a piece from her turtle collection. Her older brother, John and I both have tattoos memorializing Bekah, with turtles. Since her death I collect turtles as a means of working through my grief, to keep her memory near. We even put a turtle on her headstone.

Our family lives in the southwest area of Los Angeles, a fairly dense suburban area, a good two hours away from any remaining habitat. On July 6, 2003, when my daughter-in-law Denise and grandson Micah walked into their back yard, they discovered that a living, foot by foot desert tortoise had moved in overnight.

John called me right away and his voice was full of awe. Turtles don't just meander around the streets of LA. I have never in my life known of an instance where one just took up residence in someone's back yard. Especially not on her birthday!

So. We spent hours at the cemetery on July 6, released a bouquet of 23 balloons into the sky, etc. Afterward I wanted to take pictures of the turtle, but it appeared to be gone. Disappointed, I comforted myself that even if it belonged to a neighbor, the tortoise did not stray into John's yard until Bekah's 23rd birthday. So I still took it as a sign from Bekah, if not an absolute miracle.

The next morning at 7:30 or so Denise called breathless: "I'm sorry to call you so early, but I didn't want you to miss it." My youngest son Rory and I drove right over, about ten minutes away. I lay down on the grass in the backyard as that turtle walked right up to me, allowing me to touch the top of its head and its legs. It was as if the tortoise had been waiting for my arrival....

Bekah's 23rd birthday miracle has moved into the backyard apparently for keeps, a part of the family as far as we are concerned. I thank Bekah.

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