A Sandpiper - A Lesson From Nature

For those who don't know me, I am a people watcher! When we go to a restaurant, I find I put myself in a seat where I can look out and watch the diners or the waitstaff or people walking by. When Chuck does his reconoittering, I sit and watch people on the streets hurrying to wherever it is they are going. I like to imagine where they are going in such a hurry or who they are going to visit or why they are where they are. Did they just get off work? Are they playing hookey? Are they on vacation? How long have they been married? Do they have children? The list could go on and on.

So, when Chuck and I were staying on Fort Myers Beach last October, I not only watched people but the birds, too. And there were lots of them!

We enjoyed watching the pelicans fly in front of our room's balcony window. They were mostly in groups of three or more. Maybe a family - mother, father, sister, brother? Maybe two couples out for an afternoon jount? Maybe they had dinner in their pouches and were taking it back to the kids - take out dinner?

We watched the gulls - greedy little beggers - trying to grab a quick meal. Or, just being lazy. There were a "couple" that landed and stayed on the bouys out in the Gulf while Chuck and I bobbed in the waves. Where they taking an afternoon nap? Where they really just keeping on eye on us? Maybe they were turning the tables on me and were sitting there and watching me instead and wondering what I was up to?

There were the little birds that would scavange the crumbs from the open air cafe. Just having their fill from dropped french fries or sesame seeds or hot dog buns or whatever else they could get to before flying away.

And then, there were the sandpipers. You could find the birds by themselves or in small groups of two or three or on parade.

There were always sandpipers around, especially in the morning and late afternoon. You could see them running from the waves as it brought their dinner to them. It was interesting watching the dance between the birds and the waves - always a give and take between the pair. They would follow it out and race from it when it came in. Always seeming to find something in the waves' offerings to keep them pecking at the sand.

There was one sandpiper in particular that caught my eye. I had to look at him very closely as I wasn't sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me or not. At first I thought that he was doing an impersonation of a flamingo. You know, stand on one leg and the other be bent underneath his body. But, on closer inspecton, that was not the case. This bird had only one leg!

I pointed him out to Chuck. Then we wondered how he was able to get around on the ground. His wings seemed to be okay but to dance with the waves? Well, he does just fine. He hops!!

He has learned to adapt. He has no other option. He is making lemonade out of the lemons that nature gave him.

Now that we are so close to going back to Florida and now that we are battling this "cancer thing", I can't help but think of this little bird, this creature of God's. And the LESSON? That while Chuck did not ask for this tumor to invade his body and that while we did not ask for the changes in our lives that will result in its removal, we will adapt, overcome, win, and live a wonderful and productive life. JUST LIKE OUR SANDPIPER FRIEND! If God can watch over him, one of His small creatures, He will certainly watch over Chuck, one of His larger creatures.

I wonder if our little sandpiper will be there when we go back to visit "our" beach?