We’ve all heard the saying “A little birdy told me so”, and this week it’s rang true so here it goes.
From what I know of hummingbirds, they are small, almost luminescent looking, and quick to move. Nearly every time I see one, I’m caught by surprise by their beautiful coloring and unique little groove.
When I was a child I remember loving the days at my grandparents’ house. Gardening was always a big part of their life. Grandmum would be in the front tending to the flowers and shrubs, while my grandfather would be in the back with the big red tomatoes and fighting with bugs.
They had a small kitchen table that sat by a series of windows inside. We could see out to the backyard and often would see all kinds of little wildlife passing by. Foxes, rabbits, birds, and all. My grandfather made it obvious that providing for others was part of his call.
We would be eating his famous BBQ Chicken when all of a sudden a fox would walk up to the nearby bank, eating a snack he had left on a small paper plate. They would stare into the window as if they were giving him thanks.
My favorite moments go back to when the hummingbirds would fly right up to the windows we sat near. Drinking from the sweet sugar water bottle that my grandfather would never let run dry.
For some reason, I’ve always thought of my grandfather when a hummingbird passes by. It’s been a few years now that he’s moved on and it’s as if he is dropping in to say hi.
Over the years, many hummingbirds have flown by me. Yet this week it felt different when I was visited over the period of a couple of days by a particular little guy.
Life has been throwing curve balls, plot twists, and everything in between. As this bird arrived multiple different times, I felt as though he was reminding me of how quickly our direction can change.
He would stop in mid-air, just a few feet away. As if he were looking right at me, telling me “Yes, things are moving fast and all at once, but it’s going to be okay.”
The hummingbird was a reminder that life may be moving at an ultra-fast pace, yet we can stop or slow down to really stare it in the face. Like the fox, or the bird staring in to give thanks, we too should take a moment to pump the breaks.
Life will keep moving just as the hummingbirds do, whether the sweet water runs dry or the bank behind the house no longer has fox food.
So before you get caught up in the faster-moving pace, pause for a moment and take the time to give thanks.
Local Pulse Staff Writer & Listening to What the Hummingbird Says, Makenna Curtis
