It was an unexpectedly warm November afternoon. In response, the trees were filled with bird activity, and the air was filled with their songs of delight.
“The birds sure are enjoying the weather today,” I commented.
“Yes, we are,” replied Gracie.
There was something in her tone which I did not quite understand. Had I said something wrong and offensive to chickens?
“We are ‘the birds’ too,” she said.
“I’m sorry, Gracie. I didn’t mean to leave you out. It’s just…I know you so well, I don’t think of you as birds.”
“What do you think of us as being?” she asked. There was no hurt or indignation in her voice. She just wanted to see herself through my eyes.
“More than anything else, you are my friends.”
She stood looking into my eyes the way only she can as I tried to put my thoughts and feelings into words.
“But you are also birds,” I added because I did not know what else to say.
“I understand,” she said, as if to coach me along. “We are birds. But we are not sparrows. Or wrens or songbirds either.”
“That’s right. Those birds will always be in this neighborhood and in this yard. The ones I see this year may not be the ones I saw last year or the year before. But they will always be here, a constant presence. They are not individuals like you. They are not friends like you.”
I knew what I wanted to say next, but the words hung in my throat.
“You will not always be here,” I finally said.
I wondered if this was what was on her mind too.
She brushed her beak clean on my shoes and playfully pulled at my shoestrings, the ones that look like worms. Then she let me pretend to chase and catch her so I could hold her close.
Sparrows and wrens and songbirds do not do things like this. Gracie only does things like this because of the time we have invested in each other. We are friends, even though I am not a chicken, or even a bird.
There was a time when she was such a little ball of fluffy feathers. She was afraid to give her heart to anything or anyone, except maybe Bessie, but even then only timidly so.
All lives and all hearts cry out to be valued, but too often those cries are silent and desperate. It seems impossible someone would give their all and more to the un-perfect, the un-desired, the un-beautiful. For someone to expect nothing in return seems even more impossible. But it is what real love requires.
You and I, we are not sparrows either. We are worth far more. But do we realize it?
My Life With Gracie taught me all lives and hearts have the value which is invested in them.
Each post shares a glimpse into my journey as a writer and illustrator. Every “Like,” “Follow,” and “Comment” is truly appreciated!
At church recently, someone asked me what I will do with my stories and illustrations when Gracie dies. This post is a reflection on that. It is also a response to this past Sunday which was the first Sunday of Advent, a season of remembering the great gift and investment made in all lives and hearts.
“For someone to expect nothing in return seems even more impossible. But it is what real love requires.” How true in this season of Love struggling beneath the veneer of commercial values. Practicing unconditional love is a wonderful high art of being human.
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Thank you, Judi. So true. This season of commercialism can change how we look at people and life if we aren’t careful.
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“All lives and all hearts cry out to be valued, but too often those cries are silent and desperate. It seems impossible someone would give their all and more to the un-perfect, the un-desired, the un-beautiful. For someone to expect nothing in return seems even more impossible. But it is what real love requires.”
I felt both chills and immense warmth reading these words. Thank you, friend. Thanks to the girls as well… yes, they are birds by definition of species, but more importantly, they are family.
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I too thought that these words were profound. Perhaps as we age we are gaining the wisdom and insight that earlier years have denied us.
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Thanks, Phil. I think you are right. Age and experience allow us to see things with greater wisdom. (Perhaps because we finally realize we don’t really know everything after all? I was such a clueless “know it all” when I was younger!) Thanks again.
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I’m so glad these words touched your heart. I have learned so much from all my friends, including and especially you.
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Hugs to you and the girls. 🙂
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Thank you! (from me and them) 🙂
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Words to live by!
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Thank you, Ruth. I’m glad these words touched your heart. I’m finding that this season is opening my heart more and more to seeing people and life differently. I’m reminded of some of your recent posts as well, such as the one about Native Americans.
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I like the picture too.
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Love is ultimate, and so are these words!
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Thank you, Kanisha. I hope all is going well for you in your life and with your studies. You always make us smile!
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A couple of other commenters have mentioned your final few paragraphs already but it bears repeating. Wow! Great stuff!
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Thanks, C. D. And I really appreciate that tremendously. It’s interesting to me how those words just all came out at one time like they belonged together. (It was the easiest paragraph of the entire post to write.) I was surprised that they resonated with so many people. But I’m glad. Thanks again for reading and for your encouraging feedback. John
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…all lives and hearts have the value “which is invested in them”.
…makes me sad.
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Yes, I am sad too when I think about the lives that people have ignored or given no value too. (Those that society pushes to the side.) But thankfully God values every life tremendously, more than we can imagine, particularly those who have little or no value in the eyes of society, like the homeless and destitute.
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