The Hornet and the Hummingbird

I love the early morning hours, the possibilities of the day swirl through my thoughts. This morning was no different as I grab the liquid gold which is coffee and make my way out to the back porch.

The sun had just risen above the spindly pine trees which stood tall and because of their proximity to each other appeared stronger than they actually were. Dew was still evident upon the ground although with the sun’s rising, I would expect to see it dissipate soon. I closed my eyes.

As I removed the sense of vision my other senses became more acute. I love these moments as I begin to hear the whistle of a bird while another chirped from another direction. The low hum of the cicadas was beginning as the heat from the sun begins to warm the earth. I hear a distant plane recognizing that it was small.

However, despite my sense of hearing picking up distinct noises, it was my sense of smell that captures my emotion. I am surrounded by tender vines of Carolina Jasmine. The tendrils are covered in flowers and flutter gently in the wind sending their aromatic fragrance as a gift I gratefully receive.

I am reminded each morning of these simple pleasures and a Creator God that allows me to experience them. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for this pause in my day. I am thankful for my breath in this moment giving me life. I am no more deserving of this breath than those who will lose theirs today. I am acutely aware of this fact as a physician having seen the final breaths of young and old alike.

I begin to pray. A moment later I sense a light touch on my leg as if someone had exhaled their breath inches from me. I open my eyes and see that a hornet has landed there. Instinctively, I shake my leg and it flies to the nearby flowers of the jasmine. As I watched this solitary traveler make its way to the flowers, I became transfixed as I recognize that this hornet was one of many that was darting between each flower. They would disappear briefly as they sucked the nectar from its source and then dart past many flowers to settle in once again. I had never noticed this harvesting of nectar by hornets.

I have seen the big fat bumble bees float between the flowers gathering their goods before flying to parts unknown. However, this was my first time to note these stinging insects also partaking. I don’t know why I was so fascinated. Perhaps, it was my noting that the gentle movement of the vines was not the breeze but in fact, the hornets darting between the flowers. My aromatic gift from the jasmine was delivered by the work of the hornet whose only previous gift had been a nasty little sting. I contemplated this and thought there must be a lesson somewhere in there for me. 

As I was appreciating that moment, from the corner of my eye I caught site of a flittering motion. It was a hummingbird. I gasped in delight. Now, you might not care much about hummingbirds, but I would dare say that you have not seen one in person if that were the case.  They are small, delicate birds with wings that move so fast you can barely see them. The wings help it maneuver in multiple directions at speeds that don’t seem possible. Their colors can be bold and striking or a simple black but each is known for its long slender beak to help it draw deep from a flower’s gift of nectar. I have not seen a hummingbird in some time though I put my feeders out each year. I have never seen them drawn to the Carolina Jasmine. I was mesmerized by this little bird who despite its speed appeared graceful almost magical like a little fairy from a children’s tale.

The perfection of this moment seems like a gift from God.  The little green hummingbird is the icing on a delicious cake. I wanted to remember the moments which have been given. Beauty, senses, contrasts, lessons seem to flow from this pause in my day. 

I believe when we become aware of these little pauses in life, God can speak to us in many ways if we choose to listen. If we choose to be a student of life and living with a keen ear to the Alpha and Omega then no matter our circumstances, we benefit. This is what I was taught from the simple act of being still and observing with all of my senses:

• When we close our eyes, our other senses come alive. They are rich with distinction and can become a delight.  Imagine sharing a meal blindfolded so that you could taste the flavors without assigning flavor based on vision. Imagine closing your eyes and touching the face of someone you love, learning all the nooks and crannies that make them, them. Imagine walking in the dark and listening for the borders of the road to guide your path.
• Sometimes what we believe to be true is not in fact true. We see truth through the lens of perspective but miss it because we did not observe well. Perhaps, our brain registers something as true because of a preconceived notion of its truth. In my morning I attributed the motion of the flowers to be the result of a gentle wind when in fact credit should have been given to the gathering of the hornets. Sometimes truth is not always pretty, however, it is still truth. The truth for me in this lesson is that a Creator designed both the wind and the hornet an things are not always what they seem.  
• When we look, listen, feel, smell, taste long enough with a grateful heart, then wow, a gift may just show up in the form of a magical hummingbird, shooting star, or a summer rain. Gifts of nature are all around us and they are delightful. Let us protect this land that God created.
• Finally, God created Carolina Jasmine. Its beauty was not just for me or the bumble bee or that fantastical creature, the hummingbird. The flower also cares for the not so fantastical hornet. I believe this is a beautiful picture of Agape Love, a love that loves regardless. He cares for all His creation and humankind are the delight of his creation. He has the ability to love each one of us the best! If we know how much love we are given, maybe we can just try to share that love with people that are easy to love, i.e. the hummingbird, and those that are not so easy to love, i.e. the hornet. Wouldn’t our lives be better? Wouldn’t our world be better?

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I am a moment catcher. I delight in finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. This is not my natural state but something I have learned from my eldest daughter, Amber and my husband Scott. These moments become treasures and can be remembered when the darkest of the nights comes my way. And they will come, they always do for each of us. You can be a moment catcher too; you may be surprised by what you find in your net.