A Bird's Eye View

A garbage truck bangs through the neighborhood and some papers escape the bin, blowing into the yard. Children are yelling, running about as they wait for the school bus. A tired man coming home from work glares at them as he slows to wait for a bouncing ball. The roar of a lawn mower interrupts my conversation with a neighbor.

"Sometimes people can be so annoying!" my neighbor comments in frustration. "I feel like exploding and it's not even 8 o'clock in the morning!"

And, it's true, isn't it? We annoy one another with our smirks, our shrugs and our sighs. Our decisions, politics and opinions quite quickly escalate. Instead of being people who merely annoy others, when unchecked, we quickly become harsh, rude and unkind.

A choir of birds is singing sweetly from my redbud tree this morning. The noise and fray of government and community do not bother them. Unfortunate interruptions such as an early morning lawn mower are unnoticed. Birds awaken for the purpose of praising their Creator and drawing attention to Him.

People, however, awaken with the awareness of our burdens and disappointments. Even during the night, we may battle stress and problems.We may not number our losses or brood over them, but aches and wounds, physical as well as spiritual, fill life with annoying conflict. We can be primed for irritation and frustration before we are even out of the bed.

A red breasted robin has hopped over to rest on a branch beside me. He has been working for hours this morning. His wife was injured and their home, ready and waiting for their little ones, was mangled in a recent hail storm. Yet, he is calmly watching me write, resting from his work...singing to cheer me along my way.

I smile at my little friend as he finishes his song and bobs his head at me. My eyes are directed to the heavens as he flies away into the morning sunshine leaving me with a gladsome heart.