Tap, tap, tap. One eye squinted half open, so as not to allow the daylight to chase a pleasant dream into the dark recesses of my mind, never to be seen again. A robin, perilously perched an a narrow ledge, with wings fluttering against my window pane, continue to tap for a moment, and then was gone. I closed my eye and attempted to pick up where I left off with my dream. Once again I heard the tap, tap, tap. Unable to regain my place in the dream, I opened both eyes to see the robin once again, but with added urgency, clinging to the ledge, wildly fluttering and tapping on the glass and then was gone. What was up with this bird?

Still lingering in the warmth of my bed, unwilling to face the chill of the morning, I watched and waited.  Once again, the robin came, tapping and fluttering, but this time, with my eyes both open, I was able to see more clearly the beauty of Nature’s small alarm clock.  I had already ignored the rising of the sun and the gentle chirping in the trees of my own backyard. The robin came, as if to say, “Hurry! Get up! Don’t waste any more of this beautiful Sabbath day!” And then, just as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone. In the distance, the annoying doorbell alarm on my phone interrupted the calm and still of the morning. Now fully awake, I quickly turned off my phone and returned to my thoughts before, like my dream, they would be lost to the light of day.

There is so much to be done in my life that I scarce know where to begin. When your overall existence is somewhat chaotic, when you are unsure which direction to take, which path to go down, it is easy to find yourself going around in circles, getting no where at all.  Sometimes just getting by is enough.  But moving forward is the best idea in the long run.   When you can only see the beginning of the trail, a certain amount of fear can keep you from making that first, crucial step on the journey to anywhere, but hopefully to a better place.  I can’t do it with one eye halfway open, unwilling to get out of my comfort-zone, not listening to the promptings of the Spirit to do what it takes to get to that better place. I need to be brave and proceed on the journey before I miss the opportunities that are ahead.  They won’t wait for me forever.

So…on this beautiful Sabbath morning, I am grateful for the little robin, persistently tapping on my window, helping me realize that it is worth the effort to get up, not waste time and to move forward.  Along the way, I will write the ending to my own lost dream, putting into perspective this sweet reminder:  Each new day brings hope for my journey.  Another one of God’s tender mercies.

Photo of Robin