Ten thousand truths
I almost missed this cute visitor to our Alexandria back yard, March 2014
“There are joys which long to be ours. God sends ten thousands truths, which come about us like birds seeking inlet; but we are shut up to them, and so they bring us nothing, but sit and sing awhile upon the roof, and then fly away.”
— Henry Ward Beecher
A year ago my post was about Jeff’s father, and how he used to call me outside to see wildlife he had spotted. As I mentioned then, Jeff has his dad’s eye for spotting all sorts of creatures I would never notice. I’ve had so much joy from seeing the animals he shows me.
Yesterday afternoon, just after the heavy snowfall of early March, Jeff called me upstairs and told me to bring my camera. He was looking out our kitchen window, trying to point out two birds to me, but I could not see them no matter how hard I looked, even with my glasses on. I finally went up to the third floor of our townhome and used the long telephoto on my camera to find them, but only after Jeff gave me very precise directions where to look.
Sure enough, this cute fellow (or gal) and a friend were perched a couple of feet apart on a branch, looking as if they were bundled up against a very cold night. I so wished they could fly inside and stay with us until the spring came. I tried to find out what kind of birds they are by looking online, but was stumped; does anyone recognize them?
I was amazed Jeff had been able to see them from our window as the afternoon light was fading. Their colors blended into the general landscape so well that I could not possibly have spotted them, even with a telephoto, unless someone told me where to look. I’m glad Jeff was there, so I didn’t miss this particular joy, or for that matter, the five wild turkeys he had pointed out to me on the side of the highway when we were driving up from York that day.
I know there are joys that I miss every day, ten thousand truths I don’t see because my eyes are not opened to them, or because the surrounding distractions obscure their beauty. Beecher’s words are a warning and a promise. May we all have open hearts and open eyes to see the divine messages winging their way to us, bringing us hope, faith and joy.
One year ago today:
And speaking of birds, I wanted to share this photo of Sheila’s adorable Sun Conure, Walter, who escaped from his cage recently and was hiding out under the dining room table!
I did NOT digitally alter this – Walter’s colors really are that bright!
Thanks for sending this, Sheila!
WALTER! What are you doing down THERE?
This post was first published seven years ago today. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
- Posted in: Uncategorized
- Tagged: birds, blessings, discernment, eyesight, faith, joys, open hearts, snow, trees, vision, wildlife, winter
Defeat Despair 
Poor Walter! Prepared to disguise himself as a tropical flower, and none (?) to be found at Sheila’s place!
Good morning, Julia! This morning’s Upper Room More from the Author author, Naatan Hillman, said “Making too many plans to achieve our own goals may become an obstacle in following God’s plan.” I thought that was pretty wise, and fits well with your Henry Ward Beecher quote.
I hope you have a marvelous day of balance – just enough planning that you can be prepared, and still hear the birds!
Thanks Susan, this is a great quote and wise advice to remember!
Julia, Part of the reason I earned my nickname, Goofy, has its roots in my passionate reactions to discovering wildlife as we travel far & wide or close to home. While Dale, our youngest, was at Sierra Bible Camp; as a camper 1 week & jr. counselor the next, Paul I rode our motorcycle. That’s the best vehicle to find the treasures God provides for our enjoyment. We’ve seen many deer, antelope, buffalo, elk, moose, eagles, hawks, ravens, flocks of beautiful birds I cannot name, wild turkeys, Black bears, Brown bears, mustangs. I’m sure I’m missing some for my list. The excitement was exuberant, filling my heart with gratitude! Paul became accustomed to stopping each time I tapped his leg with a “d” in sign language, for a deer sighting. He learned to “see” more of the treasures!
A special memory is driving thru Montana, during migrating season. Herds of deer & antelope have the right-of-way. So we were blessed with watching them traverse the fields, then the road!
Mary Ann, all that sounds beautiful! So glad you were able to experience it.