Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Strange Songs for a New Day

Last night we slept with the windows to our home open. We don’t usually do that, but this is a wonderful spring when the days reach the 80’s and the nights are in the 50’s. It’s the season when it’s not too hot and not too cold. So, we enjoy the breath of fresh air that restores body and soul.

But sometimes you hear things that you don’t normally hear when the house is locked down tight, the windows are closed, and all the entertaining electronic devices are on. Recently we’ve enjoyed hearing owls in the evening and morning hours. We hear the sounds of nature as the world responds to the rhythms of the day. We awaken connected to the world and refreshed.

This morning everything sounded different. An unusual songbird awoke me from my sleep. It sang an odd tune that I did not recognize. It sang long before the dawn, in those dark hours when I usually enjoy a deep, peaceful sleep. But no sleep was to be enjoyed this morning.

That strange bird disturbed my peaceful rest. Just outside my window it screamed its odd verse, and then quickly changed to another strange tune, and then another. The sounds were like suddenly waking up unexpectedly in a distant country. My head was spinning as the awkward music struggled forward. I was ready to scream at the new day for the bird to shut up! That feathered squawk box was waking up the world with its unusual tunes. I had never heard those mixed up songs before, and could not identify the bird or follow its verse. All I could do was listen, even though all I wanted to do was sleep.

Though I was in my most familiar place the voice of one crying in the dark grabbed my attention and moved me out of slumber. What will this strange day bring? Will there be other mysteries and new songs that break through the routine?

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