It is 30 degrees below zero, but we are warm in the house. My gaze from the window caught a sparrow digging in the snow below the feeder. I hated the idea of getting dressed in boots, gloves, Insulated Bib Overalls, and my Russian Winters hat to fill the bird feeders. The tiny sparrow convicted me. I could feel their stare, anxiously awaiting the seeds I deposited. I filled them to the brim and sprinkled some on the ground for the Blue Jays. As I finished, I thought of Matthew 6:26: “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” I have worried too much about the things I am powerless over this past year. It is time to live by faith and trust God. The post I wrote this morning, ‘Sugar and Kerosene’ to close 2021, is inspired by these delicate birds out the window.

The chickadees come first, even as I fill the feeder; they have grown to trust me. The real reward was the Blue Jays who came and posed for me, and the photobombing Woodpecker … I share their portraits.

The Woodpecker Photo Bomb