Peace in the birds

       Somedays life can get us down and depressed, it can easily start with someone cutting you off in traffic or a screaming baby at the grocery store when you have a long line to stand in. These are minor examples but when I'm having a rough day all I have to do is look out my back porch and watch the birds. Each taking it's time to eat from the suet basket, no one fighting over who will be next or start an argument about who may have taken too big a bite. They fly too and fro patiently waiting each turn and seeming to be glad to have the smallest nibble. I wanted to share a poem I wrote after a bout of depression. My husband saw how depressed I was one day and bought me a whole slew of baskets and suet to hang outside. He knew my love for birds and decided if he couldn't make me feel better maybe they could and as always he knew best. I enjoyed seeing all the different colored feathers and listening to the happy chirps of chickadees, Orioles, and Cardinals. I still enjoy it every single day and I feel blessed by these happy little creatures.

Watching the birds fly to and fro
outside my kitchen window.
Patiently waiting to each's own
to suck the nectar from the cone.

Not caring who goes first
each little flap and chirp.
They wait till the next one 
is done and then return.

By the way wouldn't it
be nice if we all took the birds advice? To stay out
of trouble and think twice.

To wait our turn in the world
to help and have a firm
hold on life and be kind.
And to not waste our
precious time.

   To all you moms who are stressed and overwhelmed this holiday season, remember that memories are the best gifts we can give our children. Reading, making cookies and helping others can make such an impact.Three of my own children are now in their twenties and they still talk about the time we had a flour throwing contest while baking gingerbread. 

  My youngest daughter and I made cookies for all my clients this year, she enjoyed seeing their expressions and the warm hugs that followed were well received. Life is so full of distractions, television and cell phones have shown to be helpful in our workplace but a hindrance in our homes.

 Take the time to eat dinner together, take pictures, laugh, and joke. Before you know it our precious children grow into adults, we start to miss the days of washing their cookie stained faces. They no longer may not have time to stand in the kitchen and bake cookies or sit and read with you. Life takes them to far away places and although we are glad for their wings to sprout we miss the days of old.

Life is short and we need to take advantage of all the time we can to connect to those we love.