Today was wind chime windy. Mine were pinging out loud brash notes, banging their pipes together in a symphony of clangs. The wind sounds like winter, wrestling the leaves around the branches, ruffling the cardinals’ crests. The sky is dark blue, so pretty, not a cloud in any direction I look. My friends’ organ wind chimes are calling the birds to Thursday morning revival services, their bird choir already practicing their musical numbers. So beautiful to hear the birds singing on this glorious December morning.

Sat in the swing mid-afternoon after the wind had calmed down and it was pleasant as the sun’s rays warmed my cheeks. The birds were busy at the feeders. I didn’t see any squirrels. A little titmouse was taking one seed at a time, flying to a scuppernong vine, cracking the seeds open in a staccato drum beat on the old satellite dish close by. Those little birds really work taking one seed at a time from the feeder. They are persistent and determined.

“Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” — Arthur Ashe

I’ve talked a lot about perseverance and I ran across this quote by Charles Surgeon. “By perseverance, the snail reached the ark.” I love that quote. I can just imagine all the animals’ conversations as they passed the two snails, wondering if the snails would make it to the ark on time. The snails trusted in God to not be stepped on, trusted that God would not shut the door on the ark till they were safely inside. It’s a message of hope that teaches us being the first to arrive is not the most important thing. There is so much beauty in the journey of life.

Perseverance pushes us toward the finish line. The snail can be a spiritual advisor telling us to slow down and embrace our life, no need to rush to the destination, just enjoy the journey.

“Life is a journey, not a destination.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson