Dear friends,
As I’ve been reading your
emails and questions, I have to smile ~ there are many similarities between us
and yet we are very different so there is much we can learn from one
another.
In response to the
“Lessons from the Phoebes” story, I received a question that asks how we can “be
in harmony with our own highest good while loving, witnessing, supporting,
nurturing and allowing others to grow their own wings ?”
And…. “What does it feel like at the tipping point”
when our “helping” someone hinders their growth and learning to spread their
wings and fly.
What wonderful questions! I think there could be many ways of responding and my first thought was to ask my friend to share some of her nature stories. There is so much we can learn from observing the world around us and “listening” or paying attention to the messages that come. It’s been my experience that most of the important answers for the big questions in life don’t come from analyzing the situation or even through words. Most often the answers we seek are within us and come to light or are revealed in many different ways.
So for the next couple days, I thought I would include a few stories. Perhaps within them you will find a morsel of wisdom or two that speaks to you in some way. I look forward to hearing if you find the answers you seek.
More “Musings From the
End of the Dock”
July 24,
2011
This morning
I watched as a mamma oriole tried to teach her young one to eat from my jelly
feeders. There was a whole lot of
coaxing and chirping going on before the little one finally came down from her
comfortable branch to rest on the pole that holds the jelly feeder. At first the mamma would take a beak full of
jelly and feed it to the little one and then she would show the little one how
to eat from the jelly container herself.
The little one protested loudly as she waiting impatiently for her mama
to continue to feed her. Seeing that the
little one was not eager to follow her example, the mamma began to nudge her a
little by taking a beak full of jelly, bringing it to the young one’s beak as
if to feed her, then eating it herself and nudging the little one’s beak toward
the jelly container. This continued a
few times, each time the little one squawking more loudly than the last and
each time the mother patiently and persistently trying to coax her to eat on her own.
Finally, the
little one moved closer to the feeder and with an open beak, stretched her
little neck as far as she could and reached in for a mouthful. As she swallowed the first bite, she seemed
so excited about the whole thing that she took a big hop forward toward the
jelly feeder and stepped right into it.
Realizing
what a sticky mess she had gotten herself into, she very quickly backed out and
then proceeded to try to figure out how to get the jelly off her feet and
legs. She first began pecking at them
and then brought her little leg toward her head and rubbed it on her face and
on top of her head. Noticing that she
now had jelly on her face and on top of her head, she brought one wing up and
tucked her head under wing as if to rub the jelly off and so now she not only
had jelly on her feet and legs, but her face, head and wings as well. I chuckled
to myself as I watched. Shortly thereafter, both mamma and baby flew
off, but I was certain that they had returned for another lesson when I wasn’t
watching as I later noticed jelly prints everywhere.
All of this
brings me simple joy and much gratitude as I think of those very loving,
patient and persistent ones who have guided me at my awkward moments when I was learning something new and those who have witnessed my missteps and looked
upon me with kindness at those times.
Life is full
of wonderful lessons!
Buckets full of Love,
Peder and the Gnomes
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