Hummingbirds and Teaparties

This is Ron with your Motivational Message:

When people ask me what my favorite bird is, to their surprise I respond “the hummingbird.”  I’m amazed by their beautiful radiant colors, their speed, and their precision in flight. When I was growing up my mother always had hummingbird feeders hanging from the eaves.  I would watch them feed and at times I would see how close I could get before they flittered away.  One time when I was younger, I attached the feeder to the collar of my sweatshirt and stood as still as a statue hoping that one little bird would feed.  Shockingly, two of them dive-bombed me; one landing on my shoulder and one on the feeder. I stood there silently amazed by the wonder of this delicate creature.  It was one of the most awesome feelings I’ve had in relationship to God’s magnificent creation.  So, when I recently started a new mouth-painting project, I chose the hummingbird as my subject.

Over the past three months, the small details of two hummingbirds in flight slowly emerged.  I was excited to finally complete the painting and move onto a new project.  A few days ago, a friend had come by to watch me paint for a bit.  During our conversation, they mentioned a tearoom downtown.  This gave me a brilliant idea, as I know a certain little girl who happens to love tea parties.

Gracie at Ivy Garden

So, I set my painting aside and took my daughter, Gracie, to the Ivy Garden Tearoom for a special Daddy-Daughter outing.  It was the experience of a lifetime as we sat amongst flowers, frills, and the most colorful collection of tea sets.  While we sipped our tea and ate little morsels of food, I could see Gracie was captivated by the tea sets that decorated the room.  I thought to myself, “Here is an experience even more awesome than a hummingbird landing on your shoulder.”  It’s amazing how when we take our focus off of our work (as enjoyable as it may be) and instead invest it in someone dear to us, how much more joy we receive.  Of course, I couldn’t leave without first buying Gracie her own tea set to commemorate our time together.

Gracie and Dad share a "spot" of tea.

We left the quiet and fanciful world of the tearoom and merged into traffic and the chaos of reality.  Following such a tranquil experience, I was feeling overwhelmed and began to reflect on the materialism of our modern society.   It is perplexing how easily distracted we are from what truly matters.  Maybe you should stop, as I did, and turn your eyes towards the beauty of God’s creation.  There is so much to be thankful for, even down to the littlest hummingbird.  While you go about your daily activities, I encourage you to think deeply about all that He has given us—now go make it a good day!

To your inspiration,

Ron