Abundant Beauty

It’s that time of year in Arizona when the Northern Mockingbird again claims its territory as he seeks a mate, and I have been lucky enough to be blessed with one who has claimed my back yard! I just LOVE listening to this bird sing his heart out every night, all night long, with his trills, and calls, and haunting melodies. It is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard, and I will sit and listen enthralled as he sings his repertoire. I even leave my patio door open a crack, even though it still gets chilly at night, just so I can hear his song as I fall asleep. I can think of little else that fills me with such joy. The first time I heard one of these little fellows singing was during my first spring in Arizona. It was 1997, and I had come home from some meeting. One of these birds was singing in the tree I had to pass on my way to my townhouse. I stood, entranced, listening. Even back then, I opened my window to hear the song as I fell asleep. The Northern Mockingbird is sometimes called the American Nightingale, and I can understand why. The song is lovely, and just another sign of the herald of Spring in Phoenix.rnBlooming Cactus Blooming Cactus Spring in Phoenix is quite magical. The cacti swell with buds. The golden poppies take over yards, swaying in the wind, giving an appearance of a sea of orange and yellow. A profusion of color graces every landscape. The days are warm enough to go without jackets, but not intensely hot like summer. All of life rejoices and one can feel the energy as it courses up from the earth in an exuberant expression of creation. The mockingbird tells this story over and over, sending out his voice, his song of the incredible joy of being, and in his authentic beingness, he attracts his mate. He doesn’t hope. He doesn’t plan and scheme. He simply is, and the immutable laws of the universe take care of the rest. When he finds her, he will be too busy making his nest and then making a family, to sing the night away. And so I enjoy it now, in this moment, because I know that soon, he will no longer sing me to sleep this year. I let the richness of the moment fill me. I let it sink into my heart, into the very core of my soul, and let it resonate there, because I know that this joy is our birthright, and we all have a song of joy to sing. And as we sing it, all that is meant to be ours is attracted to us. Sing your joy this day! It is the most beautiful, responsible thing you can do!