Very Small Bird

VERY SMALL BIRD

*dedicated to the girls in the break room with surrender and thankfulness*

There once was a very small bird with wings much larger than ordinary, strong enough to carry her over the tallest and furthest of mountains. This very small bird with wings much larger than ordinary, bore painted feathers rivaling the brilliance of the sun, the depth of the ocean, and the clarity of a drop of morning dew against the greenest of leaves.

The very small bird, quite adept at flying, spent her days soaring the hills and valley streams. She dared go farther each day, knowing beyond each new stretch, lay exciting and uncharted territory.  Wasting not a moment, she gazed fondly and lovingly upon each bright bloom and every gray rock. None was like the other and that made each one quite special.  For this she was thankful; the strength to fly, the sight to see, and the beauty she was able to display knowing that it added much to the color of the earth she so loved.

One day amid flight, a strong wind blew (as happens per the laws of nature) and tossed the little bird into the dark swamp. The swamp was deep with cold wet mud that weighed heavy on her wings.  She felt a sadness and very much disliked the dark swamp, so to ease her ache she made great effort to escape. Arising from the thick heavy mud she felt accomplished in her strength and quickly forgot that though the mud was cold and wet, it was also rich with the sands of time and the minerals of experience. Both these elements can be quite useful to a very small bird with wings much larger than ordinary.

But alas she was quite content with her days of flight. Her life was full and her relationship to world and those she loved was full of purpose and connection. She cared not to feel the elements to which she had been exposed in the depths of the swamp and quickly set off to the spring of god. After all, the spring of god is never further than a heartbeat away. She dipped freely in the spring, allowing the waters to rinse clean, her tired and heavy body. That mud so thick, was released with great ease, as the spring of god contains the purest of waters, created to both cleanse and heal. Once again her broad display, shown forth a brilliant spread of deeply colored feathers. She was so excited by the resilliance of her strength and beauty that she gave thanks and quickly left the spring to continue her noble pursuits. For no little birds have time to squander, this she knew to her very core.

The spring of god extended upwards toward the very small bird as her wings, much larger than ordinary extended out dripping the purest of waters. Though she was clean, she was not healed and the spring of god desired her to stay. The spring knew well that the sands of time did render her fragile skin abraded in preparation to absorb the minerals of experience. To this fact, the very small bird was naive and ill prepared. In her rush to take flight she neglected her skin and soon found herself to be surrounded by undesirable consequences.

In a short time, the feathers that dressed the very small birds much larger than ordinary wings, began to gray. She did not know her feathers to be gray and soon became dissillusioned with them, for these gray feathers did not resemble those she so loved to display.  And so.... she thought not to display them. Soon the other small birds (noticing her departure from the skies) came to call upon her.
         

          "Why do you not travel over the furthest and highest of mountains any longer?" they asked. "We so love to share our adventures and moments with you".

          She replied with a loving but dim heart " My feathers have grayed and show no color. What good is it to travel and experience the worlds beauty if I have none to share in return?"

The other little birds saw that she was naive and ill prepared to accept her imperfections. They flew towards the sky, because no little birds have time to squander. This they had learned from her.

Her heart stung with loneliness as her abrasions turned to wounds. She felt certain that her much larger than ordinary wings now drained of their former glory, were not capable of fulfilling their purpose. As she chose to temper her flights and decrease their frequency, her muscles began to atrophy and her span began to stiffen.

One day as the very small bird walked the valley grasses, her beloved came to call.

He spoke from the depths of his heart. "My love, I see that your wings have grayed and have declared their experience. Come fly with me and let our tender hearts gaze upon the ever changing land"

She looked upon him, weak with insecurity and responded, "My muscles have atrophied and my span has become stiff. What good is it to fly together if I have not the strength to meet you at your greatest heights?"

Her beloved saw that she was naive and ill prepared to accept her imperfections. He flew towards the sky, because no little birds have time to squander. This he had learned from her.

Her heart stung with loneliness and her wounds began to bleed. She felt certain that her beloved could capture the grandness of flight much better without her. She bowed her head to the ground and her feathers began to fall out...... one....by one....by one....

The moments passed and the days pushed forth. The little bird with wings much larger than ordinary wept by the spring of god each day. Her terrible sorrow was met with the reflection of such. Through the purest of waters all the little birds can see their wounds with great clarity.

One day her young birds approached her and with great excitement exclaimed:

"Momma, Momma, we know your glory, we trust your love and we are ready for you to teach us how to fly!!!!" She ached so deeply as never before and tearfully spoke, "How can I teach you how to fly when I haven't any feathers to display, nor strength to carry me? How can I teach you how to fly if can no longer remember how?"

Now... little birds have no time to squander in matters of flight, but the squandering of time is a matter of perception. Since the young birds had not yet flown over the highest and furthest of mountains their minds remained simple and unobscured by the beautiful world that can sometimes blind.

They crept up to their mothers very small body, which by comparison was quite larger than their own. 

"Momma, you have wings much larger than ordinary, perhaps you could just catch us when we fall?"

The very small bird heard the bravery and fearlessness in the voices of her young birds and admired them so. She glanced to her reflection in the spring and saw that, yes, she was very capable of catching them should they fall. After all, she had wings much larger than ordinary.

As her young birds made their attempts at flight, they did indeed fall. But determined to help them fly, she stretched her stiffened featherless wings as far as they needed to go. As the lessons proceeded she found her wings to span with greater ease.

She felt happiness in her capability and once again decided to return to the spring of god. Her mind was swept with confusion and questioning..

"I see that I am capable of more than I assumed, why do I feel so lost?"

To which the spring replied "please fall, so that I may catch you."

The little bird saw her pride in jeopardy. "I did fall and you rinsed me! I did as I should and with my wings much larger than ordinary, I continued upon my path. No little birds have time to squander."

The spring of god pleaded with the very small bird. "I did rinse you, this is true, but despite your cleansing your were not healed. The minerals of experience have seeped into your wounds and have not been met with my purest of waters. I beg of you, please fall..... so that I may catch you."

With nothing left but the reflection of her naivety and ill preparation she surrendered to the spring of God and bathed in its purest of waters. She returned day after day and in time began to sprout feathers.....one ....by one....by one....

After all no time spent in the spring of god is squandered.

And... all you need to learn to fly... is the bravery to and fearlessness to jump... knowing you will be caught if you fall. For even wings much larger than ordinary are limited when attached to a very small bird.

-Chandra Lynn Colleen Ribeiro