This is posted from the West Grove Meeting Newsletter:
Friends’ Sharing With friends
On September 2 as I went about my morning barn chores I noticed they were finally all gone. None on
the electric wires were awaiting my arrival, nests were completely empty. They had gradually been leaving. For the past two weeks, everyday fewer in the barn and fewer hovering overhead catching bugs as I worked in the fields. Now they were on their long journey south. Ever since my childhood, they’ve been my friends.
Of course, I’m talking about the barn swallows that call my farm their summer home. As a boy I remember their seemingly countless numbers that occupied my grandfather’s barnyard, darting and diving to catch their dinner. When we moved to our present farm, sure enough, my friends were here waiting for me. They nest above the horse stalls and in an equipment shed. Open doors give them easy access to nests during their summer visit.
What I particularly enjoy is the company they give me in the fields. When I’m out mowing, raking hay
or a job that stirs up the bugs they instantly swarm above me, diving to catch dinner. It’s not unusual to have over fifty birds over me at any one time—as friends seem to call friends and invite them over for a meal. At times, I will just stop the horses and watch them fly around me. It’s not just these small friends that I enjoy; it’s all the feather friends who share my farm. In the winter I enjoy the bluebirds who share my peach trees as I prune them. Geese migrating both north and south seem to call out to me to say hello. One day when I came out of the house it was a delight to see two ducks sitting on the peak of my roof enjoying the morning. One early spring morning when out planting I was fortunate enough to have a bald eagle circle over me. A hawk who lives in the back woods is very leery of coming anywhere near me. At night I can hear a pair of owls calling to each other and during the day buzzards sit atop the silo and soar overhead looking for a carcass to cleanup. When I get older and have more time, I would love to learn more about all the different birds that call my farm home.
You may be wondering how the diversity that my farm hosts relates to you. This wonderful gift of diversity that can be found in all of our environments can add pleasure to our day. It’s these simple gifts that abound in our lives that can give it a true meaning. We just need to slow down for a moment, look around and give thanks for the beauty around us.
No matter how you define diversity—we have so much to be thankful for!
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