March 12th. The day the red wing blackbirds returned. Every year I look forward to hearing that particular call and running to the window to look for those distinctive red and yellow shoulder patches against their black bodies. They are one of the first birds to return here in Ontario. They arrive in huge flocks and their symphonic trill belts out: We are here! We are here! And we come bearing gifts: Rebirth, Renewal, Rejoice - Spring! It’s here!
I could feel the energy in my body immediately shifting. My feet so light, as if I was barely touching the Earth. My chest so open, as if my heart was 3 times it’s size. The months spent in icy darkness temporarily forgotten as I let myself be swept away by this blackbird serenade.
I knew it wouldn’t be long before the others arrived. And sure enough, just a few days later, my Merlin Bird ID listed one after the other. To see a long list of birds - not just the usual lone chickadee or crow; to know that such an abundant choir was all around me, even though I couldn’t see them all, reacquainted me with a joy I had feared I’d forgotten.
But that’s all it is, isn’t it. It’s just the forgetting. Forgetting that abundance is all around us, and that, even when it feels like it’s gone, it always return.
May this week’s Guided Meditation help you remember the abundance that is pulsing through everything right now. (And may this little video of Jez enjoying the sounds of the birds as well spark some joy in you too. ☺️)
so much love,
Carolyn 💞