"I only ask that you look..."

“I only ask that you look….” Samuel Martin

Almanac for the Soul: Anthology of Hope (2008, p. 23)

Out the window into this morning my eyes drifted to the horizon. The scene was cold, bright, and new. All the trees were bare, except for a few leaves that hung on past the fall. Solitary, the bird feeder was void of the usual crowd that appear on the deck. Then, all at once, they returned, found their way back. How did they know I put the seed into the feeder?

In the deep of winter the birds depend on my diligence for their care. No matter the season, we each depend on each other for care, love and kindness. We can spend years alone in crowds and in crowded rooms. How many of us think about living life alone and solitary.

“I only ask that you look….”

I felt tired and lonely, often unseen – spending night after night alone. Work filling some of the void, but not enough. Weariness haunting. It wasn’t until I looked around that the ache began to subside. The mystery of life in a quiet room, the essence of something larger than me in the night sky, the bird feeder, the sun coming up in the misty clouds, the leaves hanging on the young beech trees in the woods.

How did the birds know that the food was back? Did they smell it? Did one bird happen upon it by chance? Did they hear me open the door or see me from off in the distance?

I look for the divine in all the places I travel! How did I find it? This place? This life? Did I see, hear, smell or touch the divine on a drive? I was looking, but did not know exactly what it was I was seeking! Does it matter where you look? Small miracles, mysteries and wonders happen all the time, in the words of a friend or on walks in cities, towns, beaches or bogs. I look quietly and with wonder as I slow myself down when the burdens of life seem to swallow me up. What small grace taps me on the shoulder when peace seems so far away? Small wonders happen and we know it will all be ok. Honoring the birds as they land for food, the smell of bread baking in the oven – ever grateful for finding my way to this mystery. “I only ask that you look....”