Have you seen birds in the winter?  The small birds are still around, and they are flowing with the winds that swirl this time of year.

We love watching the birds in our house. 

 

I have always loved birds.

Many kinds of birds have come to our yard over the years. In the summer, I add bird seed to keep them coming. It’s a way to say hello to these fun little hopping, bouncing and flying visitors. 

 

Hi, hi birds!

In our yard, the birds also gather to munch on the fruit from the last season. This works well for us as we have apples, pears and bits of plums that will be picked on all winter. 

 

Then the seeds of all kinds are available from the plants that did not get cut back. 

What else are the birds doing in our yard?

Flocks of birds

There are times when I see the trees around our home dotted with flocks of birds. In a blink of an eye, every one of them take off as if they are connected by invisible strings and fly in sync. 

 

This sight can capture my attention for long moments that lead to a smile as I try to guess what direction the birds will fly into next.  

 

Can I tell you that I rarely get this guess, correct?  That is the joy of the bird as they appear to be leading a dance in the air. 

 

Birds flying as one even in the winter months allow time to make more observations. 

 

I have seen the winds start to whip up this time of year to the point that even the smallest sparrow and finch will have their tiny feathers ruffled.  

 

Almost as quickly, the feathers are smoothed again with a quick quiver and shake. 

 

I love watching this part every time.  How do they know that even one is out of place?  

It seems that birds know what is happening with their feathers. They always come back to being smooth and being in place.  

 

Ready to fly off at a moment’s notice.  

That is what a bird does.  It needs feathers ready to be able to do it. 

Connections

I have watched birds for years and have found a few connections to life. 

 

The joy that birds seem to bring is constant for us. 

 

For many years, our son watched birds as they hopped and ate and visited our yard.  The unexpected movements would bring discussions and sudden laughter with some shakes of the head. 

 

These surprises always brought awesome moments.

 

There is a place near our home now where a few small birds make their home in a brick wall, and we are always on the lookout to say hi as they fly in and out of their nests. 

 

At times, it also seems as if they are looking out for us as we drive by. 

Perhaps this attention and tender memory is seen only by us.

I will take it.

 

Hi birds. 

We will always be on the watch for you as a gentle reminder to watch for the joy.

 

Smooth Feathers

A final thought. How does the bird shake and smooth everything back into place again?  

 

The ability of birds to do this may be found in a quote that captures it for me.  

 

Let me be as a feather: 

Strong with purpose yet light at heart and able to be kind

And though I might be frayed, able to pull myself together again. 

 

Strong.

Light at heart. 

Pull myself together again. 

 

I found this many years ago and it has stayed important to me since.  

 

You can see that the feather shown has one place apart from the others. Yet the feather is strong and light. 

 

An inner calm can be found even when the wind causes some fraying. Quivering can be used for good to come back together. 

 

Birds and feathers. 

Calm and quiver.

Shake and the smooth comes back. Even with the wind swirling. 

 

All are reminders for me that strength is here. 

 

Do you have reminders for things that have brought you to your strength? 

Find it, hold onto it and perhaps share it, my friends.