As I write this it is snowing yet again. It’s early morning and along with the silence of the snow I can hear birds sing. It’s as if they are trying to bravely hold on, waiting for spring to fully arrive. Today they are my heroes.
There is an analogy that compares the soul to a bird in a cage, the body being the cage. If we just take care of the cage and neglect to feed the bird, then the bird will die. Similarly, our soul will “die” if we don’t nourish it. As the Bible says, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”
The early morning song birds also reminded me of the story of a sparrow and her determination. She laid her eggs on the beach, but the tide came in and took them away. She asked the ocean to return her eggs, but he laughed at her. “All right,” the small sparrow said as she stood at the edge of the vast ocean. “I will dry you up, drop by drop, until I find my eggs.”
And so she began, one drop at a time, to empty the ocean. She worked day after day and because of her determination she caught the attention of the great bird carrier of Vishnu, Garuda. He came to the side of the ocean and talked to the tiny sparrow. He then turned to the ocean and with a booming voice told the water to return the eggs at once lest he will take up the sparrow’s task. The ocean got the message and immediately returned the eggs.
The lesson here? Be determined to do the right thing, even if it seems impossible. By that endeavor alone help will come – often in the most unexpected ways.
As I watch the snow fall, and hear the birds sing, I see and feel the hand of Krishna. Life will be difficult and all we can do is respond as best we can. Keep singing and keep moving in the right direction. Help is always there and will come at the right time and in its own way. Just keep the doors of trust, faith, and love open.
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