On the Wing, and a Prayer

Dear Maria,

Sad days the past few for my bluebird friends out back. A sparrow had the temerity—yes, the temerity—to take over the condo. He—or so I am guessing, but maybe not—positioned himself so just his head stuck out of the opening. Several smaller male bluebirds and one female were flummoxed. They whirled about the structure, but to no avail. Off they flew, and the sparrow came out and hopped about in what was some kind of a victory dance I guess.

Again yesterday, the sparrow landed on the condo, and two young blue fellows watched from a nearby oak. I thought to head out there with a broom and chase the alien into the sky, but I caught myself at the patio door. Why was I going out there? The sparrow was trying to make a home, to keep his little ones safe from the dangers of the world—such as they are 8’ above my backyard.

But, no, I wanted my bluebirds. My bluebirds. Yet out there no lease agreement was in force, just possession as the law. Decidedly, I am in awe of the bluebird for its coloring. The sparrow, more lowly somehow by comparison. And so there I was deciding whether to chase off one bird in favor of another because of appearances. Imagine that, the human moment.

Fortunately, I also watched a hawk on a strong wind in a long glide over the neighborhood from north to south—nearly a quarter of a mile by my reckoning. I’m thinking a beam reach that he could sail on all the way to the sea. Okay, I embellish. A lot.

Unfortunately, last week at lunch I was drawn into a discussion on prayer with a friend. I mentioned praying multiple times during the day for some friends of mine, and his reaction was to look aghast and in mock horror—I think it was mock horror—to blurt out “You pray?” I told him that when I start grinding over what I know to be pretty insignificant in anyone’s scheme of things, seems to me to make more sense to offer a little prayer for those I think need more help than I do. His reaction? “You pray?”

So I paraphrased an idea from one of the early church’s desert fathers and left it that. Thought you might appreciate the full text: They asked Abba Macarius: “How should one pray?” The old man replied: “There is no need to make long discourses; it is enough simply to stretch out one’s hands and say, ‘Lord, as you will, and as you know, have mercy.’ And if the conflict grows fiercer, say: ‘Lord, help! He knows very well what we need and shows us His mercy.”

Oh, yes, my lunch companion is in my prayers. Daily. And I in his, I suppose.

Hope you are getting through the long weekend in fine form. Better than my feathered friends, to be sure. There I go again.

Be warm and safe.  Love, always, srk