By Marygrace Lomboy, CRNP
“Life and summer are fleeting,’ sang the bird. ‘Snow and dark, and the winter comes. Nothing remains the same.” –Elyne Mitchell, Silver Brumby’s Daughter
Our last summer vacation, there was a window in the back of our home that we rented with a small hummingbird feeder. The landlords left us instructions on a sugar water solution we were to place in the feeder and maybe we would be able to attract some hummingbirds during our week at the cottage. We mixed it up, filled the feeder and hoped for the best. After the second day of our vacation, we saw the first tiny, yet powerful creature buzz in and out to feed throughout the day. Then we began to see numerous hummingbirds hover as if suspended in mid-air with their buzzing wings beating an impressive 70 times per second (I looked this fact up!). It became my husband’s mission to photograph one of these birds as they majestically would appear—only in fleeting moment of time. After many attempts of stealthily sneaking up to the window of these amazing creatures, he eventually did get the shot—as you can see in the photo posted with this entry. When I look back on the photo, not only am I reminded of our wonderful days in the cottage by the lake, but also of the fleeting moments that we capture during our lifetime. Life is fleeting, and made up of many moments, some precious and some not so good.
These glimpses of beauty are around us waiting for us to be quiet enough to take them in and embrace them. They truly are God’s gifts waiting for us. At times, I find myself living from one activity to another. Looking so forward to the next time our family gets together, or the next weekend off, or the next vacation scheduled. It’s easy to get lost in the planning and looking to the future that we are not truly present in the moment. I will challenge myself this week to be truly aware of my surroundings and to appreciate God’s gifts around me. I realize that life can’t be a continuous vacation from a cottage on a mountain top overlooking a lake, but I will appreciate the mountain top view. I will also try to embrace any valleys coming my way. I think it’s in the valley’s of life that offer us the most growth and gratitude for the mountain top views ahead.