Late Winter Early Spring

Without speech, without words, without even an audible voice, their cry echoes through all the world, and their message reaches the ends of the earth… ~Psalm 19:3-4

According to John Denver it is when everyone goes to Mexico. It is a time when birders are like the sailor in the crow’s nest crying “land ho!” at the first sighting of a Turkey Vulture, Red-winged Blackbird, or Common Grackle. (btw, we birders know better about Robins – the summer residents did go south only to be replaced by their northern cousins for the winter) But die-hard listers, or twitchers as the Brits call us, are getting twitchy about those elusive winter birds about to become scarce. Sure, I’m eager to see my first-of-the-year Killdeer, but soon they will be a daily sighting. I’m more concerned about tracking down that Northern Shrike sighting or making sure I don’t dip on a Golden-crowned Kinglet. Twitching is funny like that, always trying to add, guilty of trying to find everything other than “enough.” When that describes a behavior toward an addictive substance or material wealth, there are serious problems that threaten personal or societal health. While that may also be true of a serious birding addiction (I suspect it as a contributing factor to one divorce I’m aware of), it generally is simply a passionate force fueling motivation to keep up the search.

An insatiable curiosity can be an invaluable tool in search of meaning; an answer becomes not an end, rather it is the beginning of the next search. Once I’ve tracked down a bird for the list, the tick makes it only disappear until the next time, which is the next year, month, county, etc. list. The next sighting not only provides a new and potentially interesting data point, it also often invites reflection that deepens meaning and appreciation. If the point is simply completion, even if successful, the victory would be hollow. But when chasing the next great thing is a pursuit of meaning, the journey itself becomes the fuel. The psalmist heard echoes of the divine voice calling creation into being throughout the world still. Echoes are funny, often seeming to come from nowhere and going everywhere. Having a sense that creation is always and everywhere bouncing that holy voice around can fill us with awe and inspire us to never tire of seeking new and renewed meaning.

Prayer: Ever-living and Still-speaking God, thank you for curiosity that creates questions that make meaning that creates questions that make meaning that...Amen.