I have been loving all the wildlife outside my back door lately! As I type, at this very moment, there are three black bears in the tree just feet from my house. We usually set up a wildlife cam to catch their movements on video but as it would happen, I didn't turn it on last night and I missed their busy duties of dragging our garbage over the fence to the neighbors yard for a picnic, taking a doo-doo break right in front of the cam (I'm glad we missed this one), and climbing up the tree for a little snooze. We didn't even know they were in the tree until our friend came over to visit and mentioned seeing them to us! To top it all off, I'd just gone out to the garage for a moment and back into the house without so much as an upward glimpse! Shows how observant I can be when I'm focused on something else. We also have a plethora of squirrels this year, myriads of lizards and an abundance of possums!
For me though it's our feathered friends that astound me! Our local bird life is amazing and I am in awe not only of our variety but how many of each type there are right now! Hawks, we've seen as many as 5 different ones in a day, scream their warnings as they zoom from tall pine to old oak hunting for little creatures on the ground. A couple of weeks ago, we watched a hawk swoop down and grab a mourning dove from our front yard leaving a poof of feathers on the grass. Lunch is served!
Kites soar effortlessly overhead riding the gentle breeze. Cardinals zip from hedge to fence and back again as they hunt to feed their little ones in the nest. Soft gray mourning doves, nearly invisible on the yard, comb the grass for small insects in the cool of the morning and evening. Redheaded woodpeckers tap, tap, tap the dead trees looking for a meal while the huge pileated woodpeckers hammer away also looking to fill their bellies.
We watch the tiny hummingbirds hover as they drink nectar from our roses and feeder, then buzz quickly away to their tiny nests high in the trees. If we linger on our porch swing we know they will soon return because they have to eat about every 15 minutes.
I love watching turkey vultures soar on the wind. They are the clean up crew hankering for something to eat that we consider really disgusting. Crows, with their caw-caw or unh-unh, are also out there trying to make a meal out of carrion. Every little bit they eat keeps our world just a bit more bacteria free.
Sand hill cranes, cattle egrets, curlew, blackbirds, mockingbirds, bluejays, wild turkeys and even bald eagles have been known to grace our neighborhood with their unique presences. At the end of the day when houses are asleep and life is quiet, owls hoot greetings one to another on the night as if to say, "All is well."
These unique animals and birds, our Florida wildlife, reinforce my wonder in our creative, loving God! Seeing them and even interacting with them, if only with a camera or a glance, is one of the simple pleasures of my life. It's a joy to watch creatures do what they do and prompts me to consider what I do and why. Worry? They don't, and yet they are provided with everything they need. I can't always say the same about myself. Does the Lord love me any less than the animals on land or in the air?
Jesus said to his followers, "So I tell you, don't worry about the food you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest, they don't have storerooms or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth much more than birds. You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it. If you cannot do even the little things, then why worry about the big things? Consider how the lilies grow; they don't work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that even Solomon with his riches was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today but tomorrow is thrown into the fire. So how much more will God clothe you? Don't have so little faith! Don't always think about what you will eat or what you will drink, and don't keep worrying. All the people in the world are trying to get these things, and your Father knows you need them. But seek God's kingdom, and all your other needs will be met as well." Luke 12: 22-30
Look around your home. Notice the creatures--big or small. The Lord loves us way more than them. No worries. No worries.
Father, thank you for your creative hand! Your work brings me joy and your care brings me peace. I love you!
Suz
