Memo to a Mockingbird...

Memo to a Mockingbird…

It was a Monday with all the unscheduled interruptions and unexpected happenings leaving my plan for the day in shambles. Mama’s routine visit to the doctor turned into a trial by needle stick that left her faint and worn out. The tractor tire installation was a two person job so Michael needed my help. When I went to cut grass, the mower had no gas and there was no gas at the shed. I had told Leisa I would come letter her quote on the kitchen wall at the river house and had to call and cancel. My day was bits and pieces leaving me feeling scattered to the four winds. Thank God for the restorative yoga class that knit my frazzled self together in silence and stretching at the end of the day.

Some days… some weeks… some months and years can feel like one damn thing right after another. We all have times when the merry go round won’t stop and let us off. If we aren’t careful, our lives can fly by consumed with trying to keep it all together at the expense of living in the moment. Easier said than done sometimes, to find the balance between responsible living and deadening accountability.

Last night Marley, who takes her duties as a watchdog seriously, refused to come in. She was chasing unseen terrors in the night and arguing with a visitor dog down the hill. In exasperation, I closed the door and left her out, knowing I would have to get up later to let her in. Around two thirty in the morning, she barked at the front door so I let her in to the basement to join the other dogs. As I lay in bed trying to go back to sleep, a mockingbird began to sing.

At first I thought it was an auditory hallucination but it really was a mockingbird just outside our bedroom window singing his entire repertoire with abandon and joy. What kind of bird sings in the darkness of an early, early morning? After internally cursing a bird who could be filled with such joy at such an infernal hour, my sense of the ridiculous holy kicked in. How like the Great Comedian to send a messenger to remind me my frustrations and worries are not the reason for my being… not Balaam’s talking ass but a revved up mockingbird, drunk on joi d’ vivre. My soul shifted gears and while counting blessings to birdsong, I fell asleep full of laughter and a sense of God’s presence.

Thank you, God, for knocking me off balance every now and then. Just when I think I’ve gotten my act together, you let life teach me another lesson about laughter and grace in the midst of trials and tribulations. The mockingbird was a wonderful reminder of your beauty in this world. I will try to find more of you in my day today. Amen.