This morning my garage door was broken. BLAST! Can you believe I had to get out of my car to open the garage manually so I could drive my car? “Inconvenient!” I though to myself “I like opening my door with a button”. I got out of my car to open the garage by hand which took an amazing amount of effort and about 30 seconds from my life. As I got out and walked from my garage door to the car I heard a sound. It wasn’t anything new. I had heard it before several times, but this time was different. This time I looked up from where it was coming from. High above me sat not one, but two dark blackbirds sitting together on the lamppost calling out.It’s not often I think that a blackbird is beautiful. It is known as a pest and a dirty bird. I’ve always associated the famous scarecrow from
Wizard of Oz with these ravens of nuisance. Pa in the
Laura Ingalls books shoots at blackbirds that are eating their crops and Ma bakes a “Blackbird Pie” that was a delicious meal… (Now that’s definitely turning something bad into something good, and it made my mouth water to read about the tasty dish. I wonder what blackbird pie tastes like?) After hearing this bird calling out in early morning it was easy to spot him as he sat singing with a friend, maybe it was a she, I really don’t know much about birds (although I have been on several bird watching hunts with binoculars, and I was also a member of a bird arboretum for a few years and loved visiting the facility. I do love and appreciate birds. I love their music.) This couple could have been a husband and wife team and something inside of me said this was true. They looked toward each other in a very affectionate way and it was sweet to witness. I ran inside to grab my camera but I was too late, one of the two birds had flown away by the time I reached them. Now all I could view was a lone crow cawing out by himself. Seeing him this morning made me slow down for a moment. I paused and took a few pictures and enjoyed his song as long as he would allow me, which was only a few minutes. I wanted to get a picture of him actually in the act of calling out but alas my fingers were too slow and unfortunately I’m not a professional photographer, I was unable to capture him through the trees before he took off in flight.
I enjoyed my few precious moments this morning with him. He helped me to slow down and reflect upon my day. I’m actually now thankful my garage door didn’t work this morning. Funny how something so simple can cause us to easily get put out, isn’t it? (maybe it isn’t hard for you.) If it wasn’t for this small inconvenience, I wouldn’t have noticed the blackbird couple. I wouldn’t have noticed the sweet love they seemed to give each other. I wouldn’t have known they were there….
I’m not sure I really like to be put into an uncomfortable situation very often. My damaged garage door really isn’t the end of the world of course. Do me a favor and I’ll try it too, the next time you experience a little difficulty in your life, or when things aren’t going perfectly right, try to look for the reason. I know you will find one when you are searching for it. It is in these moments we feel closer to our heart beating within us and we feel the love of our maker who created us. There will always be interruptions. Take notice. Don’t be in such a rush. Give time. Even for common simple blackbirds. If my broken garage door was put there for me to see blackbirds this morning, it gave me a reason to think for a moment about how I am so richly blessed. It helped me to realize the beauty all around me.
Today helped me to realize I need to try harder to let go when things seem out of my control. Realizing there is a loving God above that is watching over me – helps me to get through anything. I know this to be true. I’m thankful for what I have been given. I’m thankful I got to watch the blackbirds this morning and for the opportunity I have to sing and use my voice to strengthen others as the birds did for me today.
