Day 358 | Friday, 12 March 2021

Day 358 - Audio Version

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Day 358 | Friday, 12 March  2021                    
From the Church Mouse

In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.   -  Job 12:10 (NIV)

More often than not, the Mouse writes about God’s nature and all his creatures in it. I try to behave as if the God in ALL life matters. I don’t love all creatures: snakes, spiders, Fishers, skunks, and yellow jackets especially, but I do respect them. However, I love so many that I have written about: my beloved Jonah, my cats, especially Max, meerkats, Louie the cockatiel, Great Blue Herons, deer, chipmunks, Monarchs,,,, you remember the stories. Oh by the way…guess which bird is me:

​I’ve always been passionate about feeding birds, saving birds from being trapped in the garage, running outside to hold to my chest the bird who knocked himself silly by crashing into our bedroom window. Growing up, and even into adulthood, I didn’t fully understand my fascination. I was busy, raising children, growing a huge garden, canning and freezing bushels of food, and caring for a large pond similar to the one we have now….except it was twelve feet deep. We had monster fish which we named after Japanese creatures popular at the time such as Godzilla and Mothra.

I put up feeders for the birds so my children could see the tiny creatures flying close to the window and eating their fill. Sometimes it served as a distraction on rainy days when the kids were inside and I had toys to pick up, laundry to wash and fold, and dishes to clean, dry and put away. After the kids were grown with new lives of their own, I forgot about the bird feeders in my busyness. I was serving as a wife in ministry, keeping house, studying for my degrees and finally working full time.
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When we finally retired and moved here to the Woodlands, I put the feeders back up. I didn’t expect to recreate the bevy of birds from my younger years, but I hoped for a few robins and chickadees. I was surprised and pleased at the numbers and varieties that we have for such an urban setting. I had always thought that if I fed them, they would come, and they have. This spring I will need help planting a Mountain Ash, the tree with beautiful orange berries. Don’t worry. It’s not really an ash tree with their awful ash beetles. It’s closely related to the rose bush and attracts Cedar Waxwings. They are very hard to attract, but I would like to see them again. It was long ago when they came to the Mountain Ash tree at our childhood home. So….we’ll plant a Mountain Ash and cross our fingers.

I am delighted by these creatures that come to our feeders. Such kinds and colors, they seem other-wordly. They sing their little hearts out, diving down to the feeders from the trees, spilling seed on the ground for the Mourning Doves and Dark-eyed Juncos. How could I have forgotten for so long in by busyness? How could have I missed their blessing for all those years? It makes me wonder how many more blessings I have missed with all the business….even of the ministry to others. The pandemic has helped me reevaluate what is important now…..and it is a unexpected blessing.