Today as the afternoon breezes began to collide (from the Atlantic and the Gulf, meeting in Central Florida) I made my way to the garage to organize my newly cleaned painting supplies and store them until my next brainstorm hit.
One project turned into the next. Organize Karin's pink tool bag. That lead to cleaning off to the workbench, which lead to deciding that the cubbies outside my kitchen door needed attention. I store my water bottles in this location, but it quickly becomes a catch all for all sorts of stuff. It is always an adventure to clean out. I pulled something out of one cubby, and oh goodness! Look what I found!
This little mess that I somehow destroyed was at one time a birds nest!
I recognized the coconut husk fibers from my gardening baskets, as well as dryer lint and assorted strings.
In 35 years of leaving my garage door open much of the time, I have to say that we have never had a birds nest in the garage!
Seeing this brought me back to the days after February 15th, Roger's funeral. I recall that during that particular week I would frequently open the kitchen/garage door and cardinals would take flight. I recall wondering what it the world they were doing, but finally figured that they were picking up things for feathering their nests - it was coming into springtime, after all. I soon discovered that my coconut just basket liner was slowly disappearing too!
As it turns out, one little mother was building her nest right in that cubby!
Roger and I have enjoyed watching cardinals in the springtime for decades. He would always point it out when he saw one, resting in the hibiscus bush, or back in the day, in the navel orange tree. Maybe he loved them because they were red- fire department colors, of course. He would see the male and then always look for the female, not quite as colorful, but generally very much nearby.
This year I became used to the cardinals in the garage and rather enjoyed it. Maybe because we watched them for so many years, I just decided that the cardinal would be 'our bird' and whenever I saw one, I would be sure to think of something wonderful.
It was pretty interesting to find this nest this evening. Roger had not been gone a week, and there she was, mother cardinal, feathering a nest about as close to me as you could get without being in the house. I'll just say that he was keeping a close watch over me. Very cool and thank you, Lord. And I did not even know!
I realized tonight that God is so like that, in so many ways. He knows what we need, He has his eye on things, and He provides, even when we don't think to ask - and often before we even realize that we could have asked. What a sweet comfort.
It reminded me of this morning dove that once built a nest over the porch light at my parent's house. Mama would never take it down just because it looked messy. She would open the door and just look at the bird and tell others to be quiet and enter gently. Kindred spirit kind of thing? I don't know. I do know that after she died, we never saw another morning dove nest on the front porch light. I also know that almost 16 years later, when daddy died, my siblings saw not one, but two morning doves sitting in a a tree beside the pool, just watching them - and then they flew away together. And we never saw morning doves at the house after that.
I guess I missed the baby cardinals. I just was not as observant as I could have been. I don't know if I will see cardinals in the garage next spring, but I will buy a coconut husk basket, just in case!
I do know that Roger loved seeing the bright red male cardinals, but he was always looking for the female nearby. I love that and it is even more special today. So often I find myself thinking that Roger is just having such a grand old time in Heaven that he probably has forgotten all about the busy-ness of life on earth - and the loneliness. But maybe not. Maybe this little cardinal lesson will remind me that he will continue to watch for and wait for his female. Maybe our children and grandchildren will get to see a whole lot of cardinals one day when I join him!
Roger's Lesson: He would probably laugh at my sentimentality and say "Unbelievable, Darlin' - but those cardinals are always beautiful, just like you."
Smart words, my man!
I know he is not on the sidelines in Heaven. He is busy locating all of his great historical figures, the ones who lived with purpose and God's calling. He is enjoying being in the presence of Jesus. And I think God gives me these little perks just to remind me that he cares about the flowers of the field, and the tiniest sparrow, and yes, the beautiful cardinals.....and He cares about me so much more.
I surely don't want to stay so busy that I forget these things!
What a blessing today! Something sunny and wonderful in the midst of this rain storm.
Only God can do that!
Beautiful! And so funny that we posted right about the exact same time and both talked about how God cares for us!
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