Taking a short break from the shorebirds, here’s a sweet northern mockingbird who was hanging around the Cape May Hawkwatch in September. To be honest, I see them everyday at home and have taken these lovely birds quite for granted. They are really pretty birds!
Northern mockingbirds measure about 9-11″/23-28 cm & are named as such because they often imitate other birds. They also sing at night. Mockingbirds are easiest to identify by their long tail and also the white wing patches that show when they fly. But look at the eyes — so pretty!
I’ve been thinking a lot about “making amends” lately. It has been an evolving thought process, starting with reading a book by Latasha Morrison, Be the Bridge, about race relations in the Christian church here in the US. She quotes the Bible to support the idea of making amends to populations who had been oppressed in past generations by immoral government policies. Next, I caught wind of a local teen who committed the apparently unforgivable crime of ringing a doorbell & hiding in the bushes, then running to a waiting vehicle when the “coast was clear.” (all caught on surveillance video) The local community has been quite upset and demanding the police hunt this teen down and punish him any way they can for this dastardly deed. Do you ever find yourself thinking you are living in an alternative universe? I hear the teen is a pretty nice kid from a nice family who are punishing him appropriately for his offense. Maybe a visit (with parents) to the homeowner would be a nice gesture of peace, rather than sending the poor child to Juvie…
Have you ever had to make amends to somebody you hurt or offended? Or do you have children who had to make amends for an error in judgment? I think making amends can be healthy and lead to increased peace between people, as well as inside oneself. Yes, I have had to make amends (thank you mom!). I have found that owning up to my part in an offense is a way of setting aside my own feelings for the sake of another. It is a good thing! I would love to hear your thoughts about your experience in this area.
“Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright” Proverbs 14:9
35Sparrows For All Things Birding & Nature 