Marshallah

What a nice day today was. Sure, I had to spend time at the mall Christmas shopping and it was rather dismal outside, but I also added a new bird to the list of those I've seen in Brimfield. The bird was a juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker. That makes 161 species I've seen in Brimfield and it means that I've seen seven species of woodpecker in town. As a matter of fact, the first bird of each of these species that I saw in Massachusetts this year was in Brimfield. All pretty fun facts, making me enjoy all the more the simple beauty of a single one of God's wondrous creatures.

One of the first things that I've done most days of Advent this year is to watch an on-line video devotion sponsored by the United Church of Christ. Today's devotion was bird related. You can watch it here. Rev. Panagore shares some interesting facts about birds and then shares an interesting word that he learned in Turkey marshallah which means "behold the marvelous works of God." That's exactly what watching birds is all about.