This bird-shaped birdhouse struck my fancy the first time I saw it and still does. Artist Janet Ontko crafted it from clay, and it's one of the few products still around from my shop. It dangles from the paperbark maple (always has), but not once have I seen a bird nest in it. Chickadees and titmice pop in and out now and then for reasons only they know, but not today. Today, the surprise snowstorm had the birds busy consuming large quantities of food in an effort to stay warm and survive another blast of winter. Thankfully, full feeders kept them satisfied.
I stepped out into the storm for a bundled-up walk on the trails but paused in the garden just to feel the cold, clean air fill my lungs and snowflakes soft as cotton tickle my face. The end of winter nears, and I want to enjoy all it has to offer before it’s gone.
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“Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
Producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
Not come back empty-handed.
They’ll do the work I sent them to do,
They’ll complete the assignment I gave them.“
— Isaiah 55:10-11
Everyday is a gift and we must pause and take it in, no matter how simple the delight is … soak up each day and see the good in a world that is not so simple.
