King's Daughter's Kitchen

Every day at sun up in my backyard, a myriad of birds and squirrels wake and come down from trees to drink from my bird bath and dog bowls and snatch leavings from my neighbor lady’s cat food trays. They go from her yard on my right, to my yard, to my neighbors on the left and down the block in search of food and water. Their beautiful colors and delightful sounds are fleeting. It’s a show from God made only for us two for a few moments.

I stand still behind my plexiglass, holding my coffee, knowing my neighbor is doing the same, waiting to come out to have a cigarette and say hi. If I move to get my phone to take a picture, I’ll miss the show. I silently watch as blue jays, finches, cardinals, and doves, and rust and gray colored squirrels hit the grass, then the fence, then the bushes, then the trees. One little brave dove perches on the porch swing and seems to stare in at me for a second. Then, he flies off to get a drink.

I don’t know which creature is the lookout man. All of a sudden, the whole menagerie moves at once to the next yard as if someone blew a whistle, and I didn’t hear. I smile and say “thanks,” as if the show is a secret between God and me, His “Tada, I’m still here.” My little human reaction, “Thank you, my Beautiful Jesus, good morning to you, too.”