Bird Song

The cacophony started about 4:30 a.m. outside my window. At first I was annoyed, and then became sleepily amused. It was Easter Sunday, and it seemed fitting that every bird within a ten-mile radius of our home were singing their hearts out. Cardinals, blue jays, sparrows, Carolina wrens, grackles, mourning doves chirped, twittered and sang. The occasionally woodpecker rapped out a percussive beat, while a mockingbird took all of their songs and rolled them into a medley. It was quite a concert!

I did not make it out of bed to attend a sunrise service at church, but in a way, as I lay wrapped in the covers, listening to a symphony of avian praise, I "did church" just fine! All I could think of was the whole earth's reaction at the sight of the Risen Savior. When my Lord came out of the tomb that first Easter, the birds must have offered their Creator their best songs of joy. The trees and flowers must have offered their blooms of praise.

Later in the day, as we prepared for Easter dinner with friends and their families, it struck me that the Lord was gracious. Long before I began my vocal warm-ups that morning, long before I practiced my flute, God brought a special concert of bird "ALLELUIAS" to my ears. When I was distracted between rehearsal, teaching and performing, I remembered the private concert. In the busy-ness of setting the tables and preparing food after church, I had birdsong in my head. While I straightened my daughter's hair bows or found the missing serving spoons, I remembered the twittering fugue outside! On one of the most joyous of Christian celebrations, God provided the perfect prelude for my Easter.

I didn't have to do a thing - I just had to listen! And, I suspect, that was the whole point…

From my home to yours...

Deb