When Wings Span Wide

I follow the graceful flight of a green speckled hummingbird out our front window. How it glides to the glass feeder rimmed in red, short wings whirring, long slender bill diving in to take a drink. I pause for a moment,  watchful waiting for the flight movement, this delicate bird how it wings its way to its next stop, its next resting place. I wonder at the bird, why it captivates and delights us so, this creature that darts in and out of our sight, so quickly appearing and just as swiftly it disappears from view. Maybe this is why I love this particular species, this beautiful bird that catches me by surprise, grabs me for the moment, and I see this same delight on faces of friends, family. What is it about the moments that take our breath away, that halt speech and draw the eyes toward the unplanned, the unannounced.

When the mind is drawn toward the unexpected a transaction takes place; I no longer own the moment, the moment owns me.

What sound does it make I wonder, this sudden intake of breath, a racing thought stilled by radiance, a body shifting at once toward the right direction. What noise do they hear above and do they sing alleluia at the sight of one stopping still, pinning the ear toward a quiet whisper of a cherry blossom tree, tucking cell phone away in a pocket. A delighted breath of gratitude expelled into the graceful atmosphere. 

When I catch sight of this bird in flight, this hummingbird that sends a transient thrill down the spine does my joy ping heavenward?  Can he hear the moment before dropped quick and does he smile big as the present imprisons with its sheer beauty? When a knee hits the ground in awestruck gratitude, a bird takes flight and we follow the bird, our wings span wide and we fly too, if only for an instant. And the time itself captures and detains us, our joy is his joy, the moment is complete.

Every moment comes to you pregnant with a divine purpose; time being so precious that God deals it out only second by second. Once it leaves your hands and your power to do with it as you please, it plunges into eternity to remain forever what you made of it.

~Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen~