“A bird grasping a thin branch” reminds me of that beautiful song:
Be like a bird, who, halting in her flight
On a limb too slight, feels it give way beneath her;
Yet sings, sings, knowing she has wings;
Yet sings, sings, knowing she has wings.
This is a lovely metaphor for a life that is full of Grace. There are difficult times, but a person who feels upheld and supported by Divine Presence need never be afraid.
This has been true a million times in my life. Most of my life the branches I have perched upon have been slim to downright twiggy. How I have made it thus far always seems like miracle after miracle to me, as those thin branches buckled and broke... every time there was a way out, a person who came to help, a solution.
Over time I have learned not to panic when I feel the branch is about to go. Singing is good, dancing too, and writing. Sometimes flight is the answer.
When I look back at my life I remind myself that in all these years I have never missed a meal, never had to go a night without a bed, or a roof over my head. When I have been in despair friends have shown up, or when they didn’t, I found other ways to cope.
My feeling at this point is that I am going to make it. All futures are uncertain because they haven’t happened yet. But as each moment unfolds I will be here at the center singing and trusting that my thin branch will hold. And should the branch fail, trusting that my wings will be sufficient to carry me skyward once again.
I stumbled across this last night and I loved it so much. I have been on thin branches many times in my life and it can be such a scary feeling. I know my friends and family have felt burdened for me ... watching me there. Time after time. Because inevitably, the branch does eventually break. I do fall. However, I have learned that my wings are strong and I always find the sky.
