And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that moveth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind: and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:20-21
Dear Friends,
I've just been reminded of both the beauty of life and the mystery of death.
I returned from work this afternoon to see something struggling in the grass outside my home. As I drew closer, I found that it was a beautiful male Northern Flicker. He looked to be very injured, as he was flapping his wings in a vain attempt to move, while his legs and feet were curled tightly underneath him as though in spasms. I dashed inside the house to grab my garden gloves, and quickly returned, picking him up in my hands as to prevent him becoming a plaything for the mischievous neighborhood cats. I sat on my front steps, and stroked the head of the little creature, speaking to him, trying to coax him to fight for his life so that I could continue to enjoy his beauty.
This is a drama that has played out many times in my life, being that I have been a bird lover since my childhood. Some of my fondest remembrances are of moments spent sitting in the middle of the canoe, my dad paddling, my brother and mom in front, practicing my Common Loon call; spying various Warbler species in migration during the fall; and calling the White-Throated Sparrow with my dad during the summer. My role as a Florence Nightingale (no aviary pun intended) to these winged minstrels is but a natural extension of my innate admiration.
As I sat this evening, speaking softly to the bird, I admired the thoughtfulness with which he was created. Soft, downy, spotted feathers on his belly...almost like the tips of a a Peacock's tail. The underside of his wings are a fluorescent orange, including the quills; something you don't really get to admire during the fleeting moments you observe birds in flight. His beak is perfectly created to dig for ants in the copius amounts of anthills that litter the property. Such thought; such beauty; such perfection in every detail of this bird's body. And Adonai his creator called him "good." And He cares for him, just as He does the less spectacular Sparrows. He provides food for him in due season. He gives him the instincts needed to reproduce and build his nest. I was yet again reminded of the beauty of God's creation, and the testimony of His handiwork that pours forth from it every minute of every day.
Simultaneous to my admiration, I watched painfully as this beautiful creature writhed, struggled and gasped, obviously unable to recover from whatever injury or illness had befallen him. And so I prayed that his Creator would either heal him swiftly, or show him mercy and not let him suffer long. Not moments after, I watched as the bird took his last breath. Adonai knew the exact number of his days, just as he knows mine, and yours. I am sure his feathers were numbered, just as the hairs of my head are. He belonged to Adonai Roi, the God who sees.
- Melissa
O LORD, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your possessions—
This great and wide sea,
In which are innumerable teeming things,
Living things both small and great.
These all wait for You,
That You may give them their food in due season.
What You give them they gather in;
You open Your hand, they are filled with good.
You hide Your face, they are troubled;
You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
May the LORD rejoice in His works.
He looks on the earth, and it trembles;
He touches the hills, and they smoke.
I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
May my meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the LORD.
Psalm 104:24-34
A patient that survived, December 2008
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