Another week has passed. It was a particularly challenging one on a personal level, so this morning, as I awakened, I yawned and stretched as I always do. You perhaps start your day that way, too. This morning, I requested that Spirit show me a sign of encouragement. Then I opened the shades, walked to the kitchen, and made my morning tea.
My first answer came in the form of the reddish-brown thrasher. As I finished my tea, I looked out the window and noticed a brown thrasher had flown into my backyard, refueling at the bird feeder while another was hopping around the pool.
Every day recently, I’ve seen more birds arriving from their winter retreat. Last week, I used the free Merlin app, built by The Cornell Lab, to identify 37 birds in my backyard. They are providing a dynamic choir. The brown thrasher, like other feathered friends, can imitate other birds. While that’s pretty cool, it can confuse a novice ornithologist like myself. Thank goodness for the app.
Thrashers are very protective of their family and will destroy anyone or anything that comes close to their nest, so it’s no surprise the brown thrasher reminds us of perseverance and courage. Do you know Native American lore teaches us that brown thrashers communicate between the spiritual world and earth?
I bet they have some fascinating exchanges. My favorite thing about these two springtime birds is that they perform a robust symphony in my backyard in concert or competition.
As many more birds arrived to feed and drink, and I was nearing the end of my cup of tea, I realized my request had been answered. I understood that the brown thrasher’s message of perseverance, courage, and even luck was to encourage me. I felt a weight had lifted off my shoulders, and I was ready to take on the rest of the day, feeling more optimistic about what lay ahead but still feeling uncertain.
Sitting down to write, I began humming the instrumental mambo and jazz dance song Mambo No. 5 (Diamaso Perez-Prado, 1949). Now, where did that come from, I mused? Are you familiar with it? “A little bit of Monica in my life, a little bit Rita’s all I need, etc., he sings through a list of women he’s flirting with, and by the end, “…I do all to fall in love with a girl like you ’cause you can’t run and you can’t hide…”
In the 40s, the song was considered scandalous. Nevertheless, Lou Bega’s version brought worldwide fame to the song again in 1999, and many still seek it out for its upbeat, jazzy style. In my head, I heard, “Dial it up loud. Let the music move through you. Don’t wait for the perfect moment.” Like myself, my dad loved jazz, and I think this was yet another answer to my request.
Many speak of asking God for messages. Answers don’t all come quickly; if you cannot easily spot them, ask for a specific sign that is especially meaningful to you.
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