Unique

" And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.’ So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.’ And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. "  Genesis 1:20-25 NRSV

While letting our big fuzzy beasties outside this morning (also known as our two female Mastiffs, Peaches and Peanut)  I heard a sound that I've usually only heard in the woods.  We have a wonderful tree-frog somewhere nearby.  It was delightful to hear the unique and rich sound of this creature -- even over the usual morning barking of our dogs :-)

It made me think of the various critters and birds that have graced our property lately.  The tiny bunny that has now grown big and fat on our garden lettuce and broccoli;  the cardinal that I've seen quite a bit near our front porch window; the enormous moth with markings on its back that looked like eyes, that had rested on our porch floor one day;  the woodpecker that is hunting bugs in our tree, and now this tiny tree-frog with the huge voice.  We live in town, so it is rather uncommon to see some of these things as regularly as we have. 

One odd gift of having to move slower, and rest more is that I see more things than I used to.  In the past I would have walked by the moth and missed it, or have been thinking about what I had to accomplish next, and missed the sound of the tree-frog.  These 'sightings' of God's creatures great-and-small help me on days like today, when my body just aches and I'm feeling very out of sorts.  These other parts of creation help me remember that I'm connected to something bigger than myself, and that God's tender care encompasses the tiniest, most fragile creature as well as the big, furry beasties.  (-- it depends on the day and my mood as to what category I put myself in there! LOL) 

I am aware that some on this blog are experiencing pain, great discomfort, and even hospitalization today-- my prayers are with you.  I also invite us all to take a minute or two and look around us, outside or through the windows.  There may be something we've not seen before, or something we see everyday, but that we see in a new way today.  May God's creation nurture our spirits today~

Holy Creator, I lose sight sometimes of the miracle of your creation. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear today. Help me to see your fingerprints and the signs of your love in what you have created. Amen.