I was sitting on the front porch on Monday morning reading the newspaper. Suddenly I heard a loud buzzing sound within inches of my left ear. I thought a cicada had found its way near my head and I brushed my hand a couple of times back and forth near my head. I'm glad I didn't swing wildly, because after a few more seconds of buzzing a hummingbird flew away.
Poor bird, confusing my head with a flower -- that's the first and no doubt the last time that will happen! More likely, he/she was eying the reflection in the window right behind my head.
Hummingbirds are beautiful little birds. I have enjoyed seeing them this year at my wife's hanging baskets on our back porch taking a drink from a flower and then moving onto the next one. According to a couple of websites, these birds have to eat all day to keep up the energy needed to keep those wings moving. These birds are native to North America and the native Americans have plenty of myths about these beautiful little creatures, all very positive and uplifting.
I like to think of that visitor as a reminder of the grace of God in my life. I wonder how many times we think, "Now what is that humming, that intrusion, that interruption?" when all along it's God visiting us with a little grace. Perhaps next time if it's a cicada, I might even be able to think of that as a visit of grace as well.
I remember learning in high school English that Greek mythology used birds often as communication from the gods to humans. I loved that idea, and when we had an assignment to make a "shield" that described us, I put a huge magazine image of a hummingbird on mine. I wanted to be connected and communicating and loved that idea. Good post and thanks for the reminder of all God's "voices".
ReplyDelete