Count Your Blessings and Birds, One by One

 

Look at the birds, free and unfettered, 

not tied down to a job description, 

careless in the care of God

Matthew 6: 26a The Message

It is -16 Celsius outside as I write this morning, and Southern Ontario is in the midst of an extended "cold snap" as we used to call periods of frigid Winter weather. Now we talk of Polar Vortexes and Alberta Clippers, as though we know what these terms actually mean. 

We are also in the midst of the Backyard Bird Count, which runs from February 12th to 15th. It is described this way:

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird enthusiasts of all ages around the world in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are. Anyone can participate, from beginners to experts.

We have a bunch of feeders hanging so that we can see them from the warmth of our family room and we're constantly amazed by the resilience of these feathered creatures, There are roughly a dozen species which persist in this climate. As I noted recently, we get three types of woodpecker, two of nuthatch, different finches, cardinals and blue jays. The juncos and chickadees are usually the first to show up in the morning. with the chickadees puffed to twice their normal size. We wish the starlings wouldn't arrive and muscle away the other birds, but they land in, squabble with each other, fill up, and leave. 

I came upon the Mary Oliver poem, below, and I begrudgingly conceded there may be a room in my heart for the starlings, although this sentiment will probably pass quickly. I will soon begin a Lenten study group on the Sermon on the Mount which included Jesus' encouragement to live beyond worry and anxiety, like the birds of the air. Easier said that done? Always, yet by the grace of God, we aspire to this freedom of the spirit. 

I don't really consider the Bird Counts at different times of the year to be aspects of a spiritual discipline, but why not?  The season of Lent begins next Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, and someone else who read the poem online commented:  

 That’s going to be my Lent resolution this year - to be light and frolicsome, and to soar upward without fearing danger.