Pondered in the swing several hours today, enjoying the blue sky and the warm sunshine. Father Sky’s pale blue sky canvas was full of jet contrails thinning out, making a tic tac toe board in the heavens. One large winged turkey buzzard was surfing alone on the wind currents, circling up the blue ocean of high sky. My yard is full of beautiful songbirds but the fighting finches are drowning out the bird songs, more squabbles than singing. Saw a tiny chickadee today, not big as a minute.

Fatty the squirrel is back, stuffed himself for an hour on seeds under the bird feeders. He’s surrounded by a small host of sparrows, paying them no attention as he’s focused on eating. He is a little pig, has to be full as a tick. Looked out the dining room windows when I was cooking supper and he was sitting on top one of the bird feeders raking seeds in his mouth. He certainly lives up to his name, no need to worry about changing it.

Every time I open the refrigerator and if you know me, you know it’s frequently for butter pecan ice cream, even though I’m on week two of having no ice cream, Blue Bell has to be on sale before it goes in my shopping buggy… Anyway, every time I’m near the fridge I touch my cardinal magnet and read these words. “Strong and hardy, cardinals remind us that, even on life’s grayest days there is beauty and hope.”

When I was a child we didn’t see many cardinals. We called the cardinals “red birds,” alway excited when one was in the yard. My yards is full of beautiful pairs of crimson and soft fawn brown cardinals this afternoon. The males so handsome in their cardinal robes of dark crimson, their black eyes shining, their mates demurely dressed in soft brown. Cardinals symbolize hope in difficult and dark days and remind us that God’s holy light can brighten the darkest of days. John 8:12 quotes Jesus, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

“When a cardinal appears, an angel is near.”

Unexpected sightings of cardinals bring joy on the cold days of winter, reminding us that God is always by our side in difficult times. Some feel, as I, that cardinals are visits from our loved ones in heaven, bringing us comfort and a sense of connection. I think the saying is, “When a cardinal appears, an angel is near.”

Watching the birds frolic in my yard draws my heart closer to God and his wonderful creation of the earth and its creatures. The cardinal and their songbird friends sing a chorus each day of thanks to God for their beautiful world. They know God cares for them. Scripture in Matthew 6:26 reads, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” This scripture is to remind us we can trust God to care for us just as he cares for the songbirds.

I watched the clouds bank late afternoon looking forward to Mother Nature’s glorious watercolor of sunset but she painted her sunset behind cloud covers. A few strokes of pink and aqua bled out on the low horizon clouds as the day faded. As the day ends and the night begins we look to the promise of tomorrow. Ecclesiastical scripture says, “Light is sweet. How pleasant it is to see a new day dawning.”

But we’re not promised another tomorrow. It’s God choice to gift us with breath for a new day. As you wake tomorrow give thanks for another day in God’s glorious world. As Mark Twain said, “Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life.”

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” — Orbison Swett Marden