Crows, Like Mockingbirds
A crow scavenges through a Walmart shopping cart that has been left empty, save for a few pieces of newspaper. Somewhere, his friends, maybe his family, are on someone’s farm, wreaking havoc with the crops. This crow, though, seems content to look for food among the rubbish from the store. I stand and watch the bird, which flies away when someone reaches and takes the handle of the cart.
Crows, like mockingbirds, are common in this part of Florida. When I was a boy, I used to sit outside my grandmother’s house in the sand in the midday sun. I would look up at the mockingbirds on the power lines overhead. Each one seemed to be calling my name, like my mother would, or my grandmother would. I would answer them back, asking “What?” They would only reply by calling by name again.
As years went by and I grew older, I paid less attention to the mockingbirds and even less to the common crow. I soon got where I never noticed any of the birds that fluttered about, except for the occasional cardinal or the nasty buzzard, or a rare glimpse at a majestic eagle soaring through the air. One day, as I was driving, as I approached the railroad track in my hometown, I noticed a spot-breasted oriole. The hues of his orange color blazed against the green plants that it was flying near.
I wonder if God ever sends orioles and cardinals or blue jays flying in our paths so that we will notice them and glorify these beautiful winged creatures He created. Sometimes, God sends beautiful people in all forms into our lives to make us notice and glorify Him. Maybe the person is an autistic child, who does not talk, but has a brilliant smile. Maybe it’s the smart kid in class who knows all the answers on all the tests but is socially awkward. Maybe it’s the shy girl who’s always the wallflower at the dance. It could be the smart-mouthed kid whose sarcasm makes you want to hit them but you find yourself laughing with them. Or, it could be the elderly grandfather who is bent and tired that you help by opening the door outside the post office.
Beautiful people.
Beautiful wings.
Beautiful smiles.
Beautiful flights.
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