A Pigeon and A Twig

Today, I noticed a pigeon grabbing and flying away with a piece of twig.

She was presumably preparing to build a nest someplace.

It was a tiny moment of sunshine, hope and renewal during otherwise troubled times.

Spring is apparently not so far away and with it, the promise of new life and new hope.

At least the birds seem to feel that way.....

The past few days have of course, been tragic.

The devastating and destructive earthquake in Haiti is hard to imagine except that the air waves are now filled with pictures and videos of it. -- Small glimpses into incalculable human and animal suffering and death.

I thank God that no catastrophic tragedies have occurred in New York City since 9-11, but also question why such horrors have to happen at all?

Earthquakes, hurricanes, fires, floods, war, terror attacks. These are the things that grab headlines due to the magnitudes of their destruction.

Then there are the tragedies of everyday "normal" life. -- the ones that don't grab headlines. Disease, poverty, job loss, death, divorce, break-ups, crimes, family strife, slaughterhouses and animal shelter "euth lists."

One could easily become depressed thinking about all these things.

But, then there are those little rays of sunshine and hope that likewise present themselves each day.

Moments that are, in the course of everyday hard stressers and otherwise "bad news" are all too easy to miss:

The wag of a tail when your dog enthusiastically greets you upon coming home.

The smile in the voice of friend.

Some small achievement in a work endeavor.

Or, the sight of a pigeon flying off with a piece of twig in her beak.

I might have been the only one to notice that small "non-event" today.

And if that be the case, I am the luckiest person on the planet. -- PCA

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