Thought For Today

I am so glad that you have found this site and I hope you will find encouragement and joy as you read through my thoughts on God, family and life.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Enjoying God's World of Nature


Will showed me this while I was writing this entry.  Simple beauty found by a child.

Today I sit on the porch talking to my sweetheart, relaxing while listening to the sounds of the many birds talking to each other in their preparations for having their young.  I look up and see that a wren has stopped by Will’s newly painted birdhouse, probably the same song bird that had had a nest in Abby’s birdhouse last year.  I listen to it peck the inside corners of the birdhouse and think, “It must be checking for a sound structure to make its nest.” 

A friend said to me, "A new Wren-ter."
I look across the meadow and I see that the cardinals are flying to and fro looking for bugs that are coming out after the recent rain.  As I now watch a male cardinal,  I observe him climb through Anne’s trellised honeysuckle in front of me.  Meanwhile, our cat Kelly is watching the same feathered friend with great interest, and I imagine she is thinking, “How can I get reach this bird?”  Kelly stretches her long body, standing on her hind legs, all the while leaning on the trellis, reaching as far as she can upward, being just out of reach. 

The table is set!
My thoughts wander back to this morning.  I was looking at the trees in the forest when all of a sudden I was visited by an unexpected friend, a ruby throated hummingbird.  Last year we did not start seeing our little hummingbirds come by until mid July, and this morning while standing on the driveway, one flew right up in front of me as to say, “I am back!”  It quickly flew away after observing that I wasn’t the only one that was watching it.  Kelly was walking from the other direction stealthily eyeing our little feathered friend with great interest. 

Catching a picture of a fairy as she flies by.
My thoughts return to the present, and I now look over at Anne and thank her for taking the time to sit with me while I enjoy the chorus of nature all around us.  This is my element; I so enjoy being apart of God’s creation in the spring.  My heart soars when I sit here in silence, listening to God’s creatures singing to him, and the entire forest as well.  How wonderful it must have been when Adam and Eve walked in the Garden of Eden, surrounded by all of God’s creatures.  Our pastor recently spoke about how during the Millennium, we will have all types of animals lying one with another.  There will be no carnivores, just herbivores.  My little girl calls them, veggiesauris’.

Rain clouds arrive at sunset.
Anne has said that when she thinks of my love for nature, it makes her recall one of my favorite individuals of the past, St. Francis.  He possessed a deep passion for the animal world around him.  For me, that is the nicest compliment I could receive.  Anne is perhaps one of the most gentlest individuals I know.   She is so kind to people, and I am so fortunate to be married to her. 

As I write this, I look up and see our hummingbird friend flying in front me, by the honeysuckle.  By the time I reach for my camera, it is gone.  There are times that I miss the photo (more times than not) with the hummingbird.  It is during those moments that Anne will reach over and touch my hand and say with a caring voice, “There will be many opportunities in the future.  Perhaps we should just enjoy its presence, just for now.”  Anne always knows how to cheer me up. 

Anne's Honeysuckle trellis.
This today is my world, life is good and God has blessed me very much.