It is early morning when I go out into the courtyard to fill the birdfeeders with seed.
Suddenly, a soft breeze passes my face and a tiny figure hovers, less than a foot from my nose.
His emerald green body with its splash of iridecent red, meets my eyes like a floating gemstone.
It is, of course, the ruby-throated hummingbird that has come to greet me before making his way to the nectar feeder.
We have become comfortable with one another over the summer months.
It wouldn't take much for me to entice him to one of my fingers for a visit.
But, for now, we content ourselves with this special, warm encounter that we share several times a day.
There is one thing that troubles me about this dear little bird.
He doesn't want to share.
Other hummers come, anxious to plunge their slender beaks into the little plastic flowers holding sweet sugar water, only to be dive bombed and bullied away by my beautiful friend.
Oh, he has a mate that is permitted to join him, but all the others are, in his mind, trespassers.
Half his energy goes into making sure no outsiders come to "his" feeder.
"No, no!" I want to say, "I made that nectar for all hummers to enjoy, not just one or two! Please share!"
Perhaps he is afraid there won't be enough, if he shares with the others.
Or is it that he wants things all to himself?
I can't pretend to know.
All I can do is continue to love him and encourage him to share....as well as a human can relate such a concept to a little bird!
I wonder if God knows a similar frustration when humans refuse to share with one another, the abundence that has been provided for all.
Blessings, Sandra
