During breakfast yesterday, I glanced through the kitchen windows to the bird feeder on the deck. I LOVE watching the variety of birds that come to visit our feeder. For several years now, it's been a favorite hobby for our family.
I could see one of the male cardinals who live in a tree behind our house waiting in a pecan tree for his turn. But what really attracted my attention was the bird on the feeder. He was brown with reddish markings, but not rust-colored.
"Is that a robin? Look at that bird, kids. What is that? Is it a finch?"
When the kids saw me looking outside, they all turned, as well. At the same moment I said, "Is it a finch?", Daelyn blurted out,
"A PURPLE FINCH! Look, Mom, it's a purple finch!"
As soon as he said it, I realized he was right. My father-in-law has house finches that feed on his feeders quite often, but we don't often get to see purple finches. He was beautiful, although I'm not sure I would have called his color purple, exactly.
What struck me the most about this incident was not the beauty of the finch, although I loved that, but the fact that my 9-yr. old son knew what kind of bird it was. AND - was excited to see a purple finch at our feeder.
There are moments in life when you think you've done something right. They're never often enough, but those little glimmers into the thought that I've made my children's world better carry me through many hard times.
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