Fall has bloomed this morning with a bright sunshine. A crisp breeze is playing music on my organ wind chimes. Father Sky has sketched a light blue sky canvas zigzagged with clouds drawn thin and transparent by his white pastels. The mourning doves dressed in their pretty suits of grays are bobbing around under the feeders, squeaking their wings as they come and go. The cardinals and the finches, along with one little black capped chickadee, are enjoying the birdbaths and feeders, flitting around happily, singing their morning hymns.

Spent the afternoon in the dentist office. Dr. Towers and his staff are so kind and considerate and compassionate. They have cured me of my dentophobia. Got my dental implant post screws placed today. In March I’ll get the implants installed. This process began in June and has emptied my Mason jar several times but I’m grateful I can see the end of this journey now. While Dr. Towers was placing the first screw I was thinking, “I’m glad Gunsmoke’s Doc Adams isn’t doing this dental work after dosing me with laudanum.” Yeah, a crazy thought…

I perched in the swing after an early supper watching the sun roll down the horizon as a sterling silver ball spreading her rays through the elderberry and gold colored clouds. I love the sounds of the coming twilight, the horizon with its mystical glow bringing symphonies from the insects, beautiful lullabies from the songbirds. All is restful and quiet, nature bedding down as the darkness closes in. The porch is cool and pleasant, the silence broken only by acorn bombs.

Been reading bird quotes tonighto, sitting in my reading chair, Penelope perched in my lap. There are so many beautiful quotes about birds and most of them can be related to our lives. Ernest Hemingway typed on his manual typewriter, “Sad birds sing.” I know it’s a metaphor but I’ve never thought of birds being sad. They flitter around, sing their songs, prune their feathers sitting on the tightrope of the power lines. They drink and splash in the bird baths. They seem to live a charmed life. But things aren’t always what they appear to be. We humans have the ability to persevere in our sadness finding the strength through our faith to face sorrow and difficulties.

Lots of folks walk around with sadness they’ve learned how to mask from the world. They paste smiles on their faces and like the sad birds, their life songs take on a different tune. But we can live with sadness without living sadly. Maya Angelou said, “Birds sing not because they have an answer but because they have a song.” Life and its mornings are gifts. Be grateful for each day and enjoy them as the birds do. Let’s all find our bird song in our hearts and give thanks for the joy of living. Let’s help our friends carrying sadness in their hearts to find their bird songs.

One of my most favorite bird quotes is Toni Morrison’s, “If you really want to fly, give up everything that weighs you down.” To me this means to give your troubles over to God in prayer and he’ll carry the load for you. To reach our greatest potential we have to be brave enough to let go of the things that limit our flights. Scripture in Isaiah states, “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles.” If we give our troubles to the Lord in prayer, God can be the wind beneath our wings helping us soar through life’s storms.

“Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.” — Rabindranath Tagore