Reflections

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  1. sparrow51014
    sparrow
    1 week ago

    The last few weeks
    have been full of new beginnings where I live . . .
    robins arrived
    and have built a few nests around our property.
    We’ve been keeping the garage doors closed during the nesting season
    because the mother bird has been finding our grass spreader
    irresistible for nesting and raising young ones.
    We were unable to use it in the spring for three years
    because of that.
    This year
    she chose a spot tucked nicely away
    on the baker’s rack on our back porch,
    where she built a nest,
    and laid four perfect, turquoise eggs.
    It’s perfect,
    except that she flies off scolding us
    whenever we go outside,
    whether it be by the back door
    or the side door.
    The eggs hatched last weekend,
    and today,
    for the first time,
    I could hear their hungry little voices
    calling for food,
    eyes still closed,
    their impossibly tiny, yellow beaks held wide open.

    In the katsura tree,
    the wrens have been fluttering around,
    singing their little hearts out,
    and are in the process of building a messy little home
    inside a bird house I have provided.
    They are very cagey,
    and it would frighten them too much
    if I intruded
    and poked my nose in the door of their home,
    so I give them space and admire them from afar.

    Cagey too,
    are the phoebes,
    and their nest is too high for me to see into,
    so I just check now and again
    to see if someone is on the nest . . .
    their home
    is the most beautiful of all,
    lined with soft, flexible fibers,
    and decorated on the outside
    with an elaborate display of moss and lichens.
    That they have returned
    after a tragic event a few years ago,
    (the nature of which I do not know,
    but the hatchlings died,
    and the parents disappeared)
    fills me with joy,
    and I look forward to watching the flying lessons begin,
    once the little ones are old enough.
    Seeing these new lives beginning
    fills me with a kind of peace . . .
    a sense that ”God’s in his heaven
    and all is right with the world.”
    With all of the horrible,
    heart-wrenching things that are going on in the world
    these little birds
    are simply going about their business
    unencumbered by the burdens we humans carry.
    Soon
    these little birds
    will all fledge
    and fly out into the world,
    and until we pollute the world too much to be restored,
    they will carry on their legacies
    from one generation to the next,
    all with an inborn knowledge
    of how to survive.
    I am grateful
    for how they do not fear new beginnings . . .
    these small creatures
    teach me how to be strong
    and how to persevere
    in the face of a changing world.

    1. Patti
      sunnypatti
      1 week ago

      Thank you, Sparrow. I love watching the birds as well. We had a very unfortunate incident with Carolina Wrens making a nest in our tent canopy over our patio. I knew it was not a sturdy enough spot, but they persisted. And then I heard the baby chirps and would watch momma come and feed them. One morning, it was quiet out and I didn’t see momma. I went to check the nest and found 3 tiny little babies laying on our patio. I left them for a bit to make sure the parents knew, but then I buried them and placed the nest on top with some flowers. I sobbed the entire time, but I later looked up the meaning of finding what I did and found a little hope in the universal process. I still felt terrible for the babies who never got the chance to fly… and their parents. I wonder if they grieve or just go about life?

      1. sparrow51014
        sparrow
        1 week ago

        How sad,
        dear Sunnypatti . . .
        I may be a silly anthropomorphic woman,
        but yes,
        I believe they grieve . . .
        and then move on with their life. ♥

        1. Patti
          sunnypatti
          1 week ago

          I think I’ll be a silly anthropomorphic woman with you.

          1. Barb C
            Barb C
            1 week ago

            Same here.

    2. Joseph
      Joseph McCann
      1 week ago

      I do find joy watching the winged beings. Thank you dear Sparrow.

      1. sparrow51014
        sparrow
        1 week ago

        Me too,
        dear Joseph . . . ♥

  2. D
    Deann
    1 week ago

    I can be grateful for the new beginning I feel is on the horizon.

  3. J
    Judith A
    1 week ago

    I can say yes to spontaneity: yes, you can have some ice cream, son, why not? Ok, you can stay longer at the playground, but then I don’t feel like cooking anymore, let’s just have some mozarella and tomatoes.

    I don’t need to bend to my own rules all the time, I can take life a little easier and give myself and others grace. Let’s see where this new beginning takes me.

  4. Barb C
    Barb C
    1 week ago

    Many wonderful comments about how each day is its own beginning–yes!

    I’ll choose a specific beginning of sorts, although it’s more an evolution. I’ve been taking improv classes with a teacher I really like and joined the troupe she and others formed. (First performance next Wednesday!)

    Last night after class the instructor and I went to a nearby spot for some very garlicky French fries and beverages and just talked as friends about our lives and how we relate to others in the world. At one point she said how much she appreciated having me as a friend. Me too! When we moved to this town five years ago I hoped I wouldn’t only form friendships through work, and improv has opened the door to people I likely never would have met otherwise. I could have taken other classes, met other people–this is the serendipity that led to this new friendship.

    I like to say that serendipity is what happens when we’re paying attention. Any moment offers the possibility of a new beginning depending on how we approach it and what we’re open to. I was open to new friendships and there they are!

    1. sparrow51014
      sparrow
      1 week ago

      I love how that happens,
      dear Barb . . .
      finding a new friend
      by serendipity.
      Years ago,
      I met a best friend in a laundromat. 🙂

      ps. Break a leg at your first performance with the troupe.

      1. Barb C
        Barb C
        1 week ago

        Thank you, Sparrow!

    2. L
      Loc Tran
      1 week ago

      Good luck on your performance, Barb. Those french fries sound delicious.

      1. Barb C
        Barb C
        1 week ago

        They were, Loc!

  5. Elizabeth H67151
    Elizabeth H
    1 week ago

    A new chance to strive to nurture Connection with every thought, word, and deed. I also have a chance to pay attention to what it is that leads me to sometimes feeling alienated instead of connected. Curiosity. I am feeling pretty connected today, so maybe that won’t come up, but I am going to try to remember to get more curious the next time I get in an alienated mood– what brought me here?

    I also wanted to comment that I am feeling extremely grateful today for the gift of a good night’s sleep. I am so fortunate at this point in time that I usually do sleep well, but a few nights ago I did not sleep well at all, and one thing I noticed was that it was harder to feel like the morning was a “new beginning” when I did not sleep well the night before.

  6. Yram
    Yram
    1 week ago

    I have been heavily involved with the care for my husband. Last night I spent 3 hours with some friends. We had a lovely supper, then a few stayed to play Bunco. I laughed and relaxed a bit.
    My new (recommitment) beginning is to take conscious time for me and be grateful that it is needed, it can happen and enjoyed.

    1. sparrow51014
      sparrow
      1 week ago

      I’m with you here,
      dear Yram . . . ♥

    2. L
      Loc Tran
      1 week ago

      Yes, Yram. In order to assist others, owe must tighten up our own oxygen mask first.

    3. Barb C
      Barb C
      1 week ago

      So glad you had this! Friendship time can restore the soul.

  7. D
    Drea
    1 week ago

    Every morning is a new beginning. I don’t yet know what flavor the day will take. Every day is different, by a little or by a lot. I’m grateful for all those variations that will feed me new ways of responding, of acting, of thinking.

  8. pkr29022
    pkr
    1 week ago

    I am grateful for this new day that I have been gifted. Each new day is an opportunity to do better than the day before. I am thankful I get to “begin anew & create all that is good”, Louise Hay.
    Peace & Love to All….🕊️🩷

    1. Joseph
      Joseph McCann
      1 week ago

      Thank you PKR.

  9. Carol Ann Conner
    Carol
    1 week ago

    I don’t see myself beginning anything new today but I am recommitting myself to my physical therapy exercises. I have been inconsistent in performing them since leaving supervised PT therapy.

    1. D
      Drea
      1 week ago

      Cheering you on in doing consistent PT, Carol. The exercises can be so boring, but as I’m sure you know, it really does work magic after a while, when you keep it up. I’m so grateful for PT for helping me avoid shoulder surgery and also get back into running, which I would’ve thought impossible about a year ago.

  10. Charlie T
    Charlie T
    1 week ago

    Maybe I’m not feeling very grateful this morning.
    Because I’m not finding anything new that’s beginning. Of course, I’m grateful for the beginning of this new day. It seems like nothing is truly new.
    Things may be new, again. I guess that would be renewal. I am grateful for that. A second (or third or forth…) chance.

  11. Ngoc Nguyen
    Ngoc Nguyen
    1 week ago

    A new day full of grace is given to me by God. A new day with my family in Vietnam. A new day with the possibility of the internet connection that allows me to call and talk to Loc, even though we’re currently apart. Wishing everyone a day full of love and joy. 💐

    1. L
      Loc Tran
      1 week ago

      My Ngoc, look forward to talking to you tonight as usual.

  12. Patti
    sunnypatti
    1 week ago

    I, too, am grateful for this new day. Each new day we are blessed to wake up to holds possibilities, which makes me think of Mary Oliver’s Morning Poem:

    Every morning
    the world
    is created.
    Under the orange

    sticks of the sun
    the heaped
    ashes of the night
    turn into leaves again

    and fasten themselves to the high branches–
    and the ponds appear
    like black cloth
    on which are painted islands

    of summer lilies.
    If it is your nature
    to be happy
    you will swim away along the soft trails

    for hours, your imagination
    alighting everywhere.
    And if your spirit
    carries within it

    the thorn
    that is heavier than lead–
    if it’s all you can do
    to keep on trudging–

    there is still
    somewhere deep within you
    a beast shouting that the earth
    is exactly what it wanted–

    each pond with its blazing lilies
    is a prayer heard and answered
    lavishly,
    every morning,

    whether or not
    you have ever dared to be happy,
    whether or not
    you have ever dared to pray.

    1. Patti
      sunnypatti
      1 week ago

      I’m so glad you all love the poem, too. Mary Oliver has such a lovely way with words.

    2. Joseph
      Joseph McCann
      1 week ago

      This site would not load last evening. I now know why. So I could read this lovely Mary Oliver Morning Poem in the morning! Thank you Sunny Patti.

    3. Barb C
      Barb C
      1 week ago

      Ohhh, thank you for this.

    4. D
      Drea
      1 week ago

      Beautiful poem, thank you Sunnypatti. I’ve never read this one and I really like it.

    5. pkr29022
      pkr
      1 week ago

      Thank you Sunnypatti for sharing Mary Oliver’s poem, Morning. Her words are music to my ears.💚

    6. Carol Ann Conner
      Carol
      1 week ago

      Thank you, SunyPatti for posting the poem. It offers me the choice to see with new eyes today. Plus Oliver uses one of my favorite words: “trudge”. I was first introduced to it in 12-Step literature.

    7. sparrow51014
      sparrow
      1 week ago

      Thank you,
      dear Sunnypatti,
      for posting this poem by Mary Oliver,
      whose work I love . . .
      so fitting
      for such a day as this. ♥

  13. L
    Loc Tran
    1 week ago

    A new beginning I’m grateful for is how I’ve evolved during the last 9-10 days without Ngoc right by my side. Based on some of my answers, I’m resembling more of the Dallas Mavericks who beat the Miami Big 3 Gods in the 2011 NBA finals. There’s nothing wrong with LeBron forming a superteam in Miami, but “The Decision” was a huge mistake. Not only did Cleveland hate him, but the league and other teams used his superteam building to take him down. He said that he was going to win “not 1 not 2 not 3 not 4 not 5…” championships. He only has 4 up to this point. Dallas, led by 1 big in Dirk Nowitzki, knew about it and used LeBron’s tactic against him and humiliated the Heat in those finals as LeBron had a meltdown for the ages. It goes to show that humility wins. Not going alone doesn’t mean joining your buddies.
    I define not going alone as trusting the resources that are right there. Avoid separating from the root. A life lesson from “The Decision” and its aftermath is that family is always greater than friends. I thank Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks for teaching a valuable lesson throughout the playoffs that year. Dirk and the Mavs sure maximized their role players that year like: Jason Kidd, Sean Marion, Tyson Chandler, and JJ Barea. I remember coming in predicting an easy Heat victory like the rest of us.
    Unpredictability is the beauty in sports. Basketball is the most obvious with scores quickly changing by every 1-3pts.

  14. Ose
    Ose
    1 week ago

    for this new day which just begun, for the next breath which is, for the sun just appearing. Wishing a lovely day to all.

  15. Laura
    Laura
    1 week ago

    Each moment is a new beginning.

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