All Creatures Great and Small
Today I am grateful for my sense of hearing and how it allows me to enjoy music, laughter, spoken words of conversation, birds singing, wind chimes, water flowing, and so much more.
The weather has been less than favorable in recent weeks in our part of the world. I would describe it as chilly, windy, icy, rainy, with intermittent snow and a serious lack of sunshine. But I will run in just about anything, so I headed out late yesterday afternoon. In the last mile of a 3-miler, I experienced connections with several members of God’s creation, mostly of the small variety. The connections weren’t direct, except maybe the last one, but they all gave me pause and mattered in my day.
First, it was five young deer bounding across an open field. Then, it was a cardinal singing in a tree. I stopped running for a couple moments to take in the awe of both the deer and the cardinal. Next, it was a small flock of robins flitting between a few trees on two sides of the street. As I arrived back in my yard, it wasn’t a surprise to see a couple of squirrels eying me as I took our garbage and recycling receptacles to the curb for pick up. I took another short pause to see what the squirrels would do next. They scurried up the tree they were under, stopping along the way to take another look at me to see what I was up to. Squirrels make me smile.
“All Creatures Great and Small” could also be referencing a book or the recent TV series based on the book. I haven’t read the book or watched the series, though the book is on my ever-growing reading list. All creatures great and small is a reminder to me. Noticing the other living beings that share this world with me, especially in the natural world, is truly a highlight of being alive. Looking at and giving a smile and greeting to fellow humans gets me out of myself and into the stream of life.
We are all here for a reason. Do I know my purpose today? I think I do. Simply be. Simply be aware. Simply be kind. Simply be helpful. Simply pause and rest. Simply be.
