Quiet Beauty in a Full House – The Story of a Bird on a Motionless Ceiling Fan Blade

October 9, 2009

Ten seconds might be a stretch for the amount of time our eyes met. He soared underneath the porch ceiling and landed within six feet from where I was seated. The brilliance of his ruby red throat caught me off guard.

He flew under the roof of the porch and landed on one of five blades in the motionless white ceiling fan on the back porch.

We had attended a 4th of July picnic on the previous day with family, most of whom I had not seen in over 30 years. Today, we relaxed and visited with family members we had not previously seen at the picnic.

I know the ruby red throated bird was a male because the color of his feathers was vibrant. I felt a deep sense of gratitude for the unexpected visitor with wings. Although we only exchanged a brief glance, I knew he delivered a specific message to me. In the blink of an eye, I knew it was a moment which could only be understood in silence.

Silently, I told him about his beauty and the magnificence of this miniature moment in time. He flew away almost as quickly as he arrived but I will always remember the beauty of his story.

Thrilled at this rare sighting of my new winged friend, I exclaimed, “I just saw a ruby red-throated …” Their response was full of doubt because the next words I heard were, “Oh, you just saw a robin red breast.”

I knew their answer was incorrect because they hadn’t seen what I’d seen. With my sketch diary close at hand, I drew a rough diagram of the bird sitting on the ceiling fan blade. I recorded a few notes about our family picnic because I wanted to remember the gift even though the others remained skeptical.

I know what I saw. Like a shooting star, the arrival and departure of the ruby red throated bird was only a miniature memory.

On the drive home after the family picnic, we stopped at a roadside curb market for a break. We purchased fresh apples as well as walking a few minutes before beginning our long journey home.

As I walked through the aisles of the curb market, I spotted a book about birds and quickly thumbed through the book to look for the alleged ruby red-throated bird. The picture of my my new friend with wings was in the book but I was the only one looking for him.

 

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