Birds the “Them and Theys”

During this time of quarantine I have spent a great deal of time looking out my windows or sitting on the porch. There are a lot of birds out here in the country. In the past I would call them by generic names. Red, yellow, black, blue, you get the idea. But this year I wanted to learn more about them. Did you know that woodpeckers have a large variety of types small to huge? I would call them all Red-headed woodpeckers. I was wrong, not a one of them was a true Red-headed woodpecker. I do have, Hairy, Red-bellied, Pileated, and Downy Woodpeckers.

I also fell in love with Cowbirds. They make a very distinct sound, my cousin Lisa says it is a liquid sound. Since I liked them I wanted to know more about these black birds with lovely brown heads. It seems that they are considered parasitic birds because they lay their eggs in other birds nest and have the other parents do all the work. Yikes how awful. How can I like these creatures? So I continued learning. The Cowbird use to follow the bison and eat the insects that bothered the bison. Since the bison were always moving the birds could not stay and raise they young. Okay I get it now, foster care while the parents are working.

Really the point I am trying to get to in my round about way is that as humans, we need to know each others names. Stop the “theys” and “thems” . Look the people in their eyes know them as individuals. Jeffs, Tonyas, Malcolm, Aliyah, and Cindys….. It should not be one group over another. It is about reaching out and knowing who each person is. Love all, admit when we do not know and learn while loving.

God had Adam name all the animals so that he would know them. Jesus knows his sheep, he lived with us and still loves us. He knows our names our issues. He loves us. That means that while you are looking into the eyes of the “theys” and “thems” you are looking at someone that is loved by God. When you make a hateful all inclusive statement about “thems” you are making that statement about people whom God loves. Stop, Look. Love.

I still love my Cowbirds, I enjoy their silly sounds. They are lovely in their own way, just as Cardinals, Blue-jays, and the variety of Woodpeckers.