In order to blast away the glooms of such a gross winter weather day, I wanted to share a summertime story. It's about a bird. And a grumpy, stressed, bride-to-be. (Ahem....named Jamie)
I have to preface this with saying how much I adore birds. I never realized how much until I got my first pet parakeet last October, but birds have always seemed to have just such a freeing, mysterious spirit about them and I could daydream for hours about the life of a bird. And flying dreams are always my favorite, so just another reason to love those that get to actually experience being in the air!
ANYWHO.
The summer before my wedding in 2012 was a lot more stressful and "un-fun" than I had always imagined it to be. There were decisions to be made, many of which I didn't care to make (I was about as far from an overbearing bride as any girl could be) and there was a feeling of stress and urgency in the air that I did not want in my life. I just wanted to be married. I didn't care two bits about the details. However, some details for weddings are simply necessary, and so I unhappily took on the endless stack of unwanted wedding decisions.
By June, I was already sick of summer and just wanted August to arrive. I was worn out and in an overall defeated mood. As a bit of an escape (and an excuse to get some sun on my shoulders), I took on the responsibility of taking care of the family strawberry patch. The fact that we would be freezing and using the strawberries as ice cream topping for the wedding reception helped motivate me as well.
One hot Thursday morning, I headed out into the blazing sun to gather yet another large bowlful of ripe, bright red berries. As I turned to head back into the house when my bowl was full, I noticed a small, naked, wrinkly body buried under some grass and dirt in the garden. My first thought was that it was a mouse! But when I looked a bit closer, I saw something I'd never seen up close in my life. It was a very newly-hatched baby bird. How it got there, I still don't know, but somehow it had survived its fall and I could see its tiny body rising with each breath.
The mama instincts in me came rushing to the surface, as I dropped the berries and ran inside to find an empty yogurt container and some rags for a makeshift bed. Never having a bird before, I didn't have a clue how to take care of the helpless little thing. But, thanks to google, I found that a wildlife rehabilitator lived only 10 minutes from my parents' home. I carefully strapped the little guy in our rusty old truck and rumbled over to the lady's house. She came out to greet me and confidently picked up the bird and looked him over. She convinced me that she could easily help him grow up healthy and I said goodbye to my little friend.
"By the way, what kind of bird do you think he is?" I asked. She figured he was a little sparrow.
Driving home, the words of an old hymn hit my heart so hard that I had to stop the truck:
"His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me."
I heard this song along with these inaudible words, as if coming from a loving, kindly-rebuking friend, "Jamie, do you see what I did? I loved that helpless baby bird enough to have you find it and get it some help. If I care that much for a bird, don't you realize that I care a bazillion times more for you? You gotta stop worrying and fretting! I'm taking care of things, really!" (Jamie-paraphrased, of course)
I went home with a lighter heart than I'd had since we started planning the wedding. There would still be decisions, there would still be details to figure out, but none of it really mattered. God has promised time and again that He's already taken care of things and works things out for the best.
Though it may seem like a small story, it had a huge impact on me. I love that sometimes the smallest, seemingly insignificant things can have the greatest impact on our lives. I encourage you to keep on the lookout for small events with huge meanings!
Please stay warm and dry, friends. I'm off to find my socks. *brrrr, cold toes*
~Jamie :)
I have to preface this with saying how much I adore birds. I never realized how much until I got my first pet parakeet last October, but birds have always seemed to have just such a freeing, mysterious spirit about them and I could daydream for hours about the life of a bird. And flying dreams are always my favorite, so just another reason to love those that get to actually experience being in the air!
ANYWHO.
The summer before my wedding in 2012 was a lot more stressful and "un-fun" than I had always imagined it to be. There were decisions to be made, many of which I didn't care to make (I was about as far from an overbearing bride as any girl could be) and there was a feeling of stress and urgency in the air that I did not want in my life. I just wanted to be married. I didn't care two bits about the details. However, some details for weddings are simply necessary, and so I unhappily took on the endless stack of unwanted wedding decisions.
By June, I was already sick of summer and just wanted August to arrive. I was worn out and in an overall defeated mood. As a bit of an escape (and an excuse to get some sun on my shoulders), I took on the responsibility of taking care of the family strawberry patch. The fact that we would be freezing and using the strawberries as ice cream topping for the wedding reception helped motivate me as well.
One hot Thursday morning, I headed out into the blazing sun to gather yet another large bowlful of ripe, bright red berries. As I turned to head back into the house when my bowl was full, I noticed a small, naked, wrinkly body buried under some grass and dirt in the garden. My first thought was that it was a mouse! But when I looked a bit closer, I saw something I'd never seen up close in my life. It was a very newly-hatched baby bird. How it got there, I still don't know, but somehow it had survived its fall and I could see its tiny body rising with each breath.
The mama instincts in me came rushing to the surface, as I dropped the berries and ran inside to find an empty yogurt container and some rags for a makeshift bed. Never having a bird before, I didn't have a clue how to take care of the helpless little thing. But, thanks to google, I found that a wildlife rehabilitator lived only 10 minutes from my parents' home. I carefully strapped the little guy in our rusty old truck and rumbled over to the lady's house. She came out to greet me and confidently picked up the bird and looked him over. She convinced me that she could easily help him grow up healthy and I said goodbye to my little friend.
"By the way, what kind of bird do you think he is?" I asked. She figured he was a little sparrow.
Driving home, the words of an old hymn hit my heart so hard that I had to stop the truck:
"His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me."
I heard this song along with these inaudible words, as if coming from a loving, kindly-rebuking friend, "Jamie, do you see what I did? I loved that helpless baby bird enough to have you find it and get it some help. If I care that much for a bird, don't you realize that I care a bazillion times more for you? You gotta stop worrying and fretting! I'm taking care of things, really!" (Jamie-paraphrased, of course)
I went home with a lighter heart than I'd had since we started planning the wedding. There would still be decisions, there would still be details to figure out, but none of it really mattered. God has promised time and again that He's already taken care of things and works things out for the best.
Though it may seem like a small story, it had a huge impact on me. I love that sometimes the smallest, seemingly insignificant things can have the greatest impact on our lives. I encourage you to keep on the lookout for small events with huge meanings!
Please stay warm and dry, friends. I'm off to find my socks. *brrrr, cold toes*
~Jamie :)
