BIRDS OF A FEATHER

                                             BIRDS OF A FEATHER

     Getting ready for surgery is more a mental exercise than it is an organizational one. Often the dread is overpowering and a black cloud hangs over the patient like a constant companion.
     My husband Steve had been pretty upbeat about his upcoming surgery but I could tell that his emotions were varied, positive most the time but then a wave of fear would pass over his mind with thoughts of the possibility of a negative prognosis after the surgery. I will have to credit him with the fact that most of the time he was upbeat.
     The day before the surgery I asked him a question I should not have introduced into our conversation. I knew better than to ask it. I asked as he came into the kitchen for breakfast, "Did you have a good night?" That elicited a report I didn't want to hear, "No, I didn't. I had a terrible night."
     As we all know, once the day starts off with a negative mindset, very often the rest of the day follows the same vein of thought. I didn't relish that pall hanging over our heads the rest of the day, possibly lasting into the day of surgery, which would be hard to shake.
     I began telling him about a testimony that our friend Diane wrote me in an email that very morning. The story was a follow-up conclusion to an ongoing problem that she had had for several summers. The past two summers swallows have taken up residence on her porch and they have been a real problem. They have dive bombed Diane, dive bombed her dog and cat, and have been a real nuisance. She has not been able to sit on the beautiful porch that she has decorated for a town contest. Enjoyment went out the window for her when the swallows decided her porch was the perfect place to nest. They were back again this year like vacationing relatives, making the summer unbearable again.
     Some other birds decided to inhabit her porch this summer also. A finch built a nest in her hanging basket that was filled with flowers. They were welcome because they did not have the habit of attacking man and beast the way the swallows did.

     Diane's son Chris and his girlfriend Babette came to visit and share some of the great wisdom they have gained in their many travels and meditation seminars. Diane told Babette about the swallows and told her about the finches and their nest.
     Babette remarked that she had a book that she wanted to share with Diane about birds and how they are sent to us with messages that we need to learn. She shared an unusual insight, that the finches were there in the hanging basket to bring peace between Diane and the swallows. My friend decided to read the book about messenger birds with an open mind after hearing that interesting comment.
     The next morning Diane prepared to take her dog for a morning stroll, a daily occurrence, and she was prepared to have to dodge the swallows and their dive bombing habits. However, as she gathered up the small dog in her arms and tiptoed onto the porch she was astonished. There were no swallows around. They were not there to torment her and her dog. As she walked further into the yard she was cautious but still noticed the absence of the swallows.
     As she ventured out further into the yard she heard the sweet voice of Babette back at the house saying, "I told you so."
     Surely she was right, the finches had come to bring peace between Diane and the swallows because now the swallows were not behaving like tormenters. In fact, they were absent completely.
     God's messengers of truth take many forms. This time it came on the wings of birds for Diane and for us from the mouth of her son's girlfriend Babette.
     My husband and I gleaned the overflow from the story. As I told it to him, suddenly his positive attitude was restored and his whole countenance changed. He began to speak positive things, which will continue into the day of surgery, I know.
     Then my sister-in-law sent a wonderful story about a sandpiper. I knew the messages were sent to let us know that the birds in God's dimension, His angels, were already doing their jobs of giving wisdom to the doctors to bring perfect results to the surgery.
     We expected the best because we knew that peace would be in the waiting room, the operating room and the entire hospital. Peace benefits everyone involved, just like peace was brought to my friend and the swallows by the little finches.
     I love God's messages of faith.