Tell Us Your Secret!

  I am bewildered.  How in the world do egrets stay so spotlessly clean? Their brilliant white plumage never shows a speck of mud even though they slosh around in some of the ickiest sludge known to man.  Bayou mud sticks to everything and is nigh on impossible to remove.  If there is one thing that I have learned living this close to marsh, mudflats and brackish water, it is to always wear your oldest clothes if you are out hiking.  A pair of jeans, an old shirt and either hiking boots or leather moccasins are my choice.  Just never....ever...wear white!  If you do, you are just asking for trouble.  This mud won't even bleach out of clothing. But those birds...those gleaming white birds never seem to get muddy.  I love to watch the Snowy Egrets as they stalk their prey in the shallows of the Bayou.  They are gorgeous birds. 

  The other day, Mark pointed to a feather in the marsh.  Obviously, it came from an egret as it is molting time for them.  They are getting their breeding plumage now so a feather can be found in the marsh or on the shoreline occasionally.  This feather was found near the mudflats so was covered with the dark crud.  Idea!  I would fish out the feather and see just how easily it cleans!  Why?  Curiosity.  

  The feather was washed, soaped, scrubbed and finally bleached.  It was still stained and nasty.  With all of my work, I still had no idea how the birds stay so immaculately clean.  What a breakthrough in the laundry world it would be if we could only figure out their secret!  Oh, and take a hint from me....do NOT wear white on the Bayou! 

The White Feather

I have always been one that can find a meaning behind most everything.  Sure, there is the "logical" or even the scientific reason for things that happen but if you look hard enough, sometimes there seems to be some ethereal explanation as well.  And if it is some "otherworldly", heavenly or spiritual thought that helps us cope with the daily stress of living...then I say, so be it.  I prefer it that way to be honest.  There is some comfort to be found in saying that something is a sign..a message from the beyond.  These messages or signs can ease the mind and let us as feeble humans have hope.

Late this evening, I headed to the pier.   As strange as it may sound..the pier is my refuge in the storm!  I feel at peace there.  With the sun setting low in the western sky, the Bayou was cast with a warm, reddish hue.  A soft breeze kept the mosquitoes at bay, so sitting was quite pleasurable.  It was quiet..almost too quiet.  None of my bird friends were to be seen, there were no mullet jumping, nor were there the usual squabbles between raccoons.  Quietness seemed to engulf the entire Bay..just stillness..peaceful stillness.  At first, I thought this was a tad unnerving but I soon began to realize that it was what I needed..peace and quiet to salve the turmoil of the day.  As I was sitting there staring at the clouds that were changing colors with the setting sun, I noticed something floating down toward me!  This, too, was morphing through multiple shades of pinks, red, and oranges as the sun's rays hit upon it.  After what seemed an eternity of me watching, a feather softly landed on my right shoulder.  A single white feather of about four inches in length had fallen from the sky.  I had not seen any birds at all so I pondered the source of the feather.  Perhaps this was one of those messages from above.  I sat holding that feather for some time before I realized that the headache that plagued me since early morning, had eased.  My mind was peaceful, all stress had been lifted.  Perhaps this could be explained by the fresh air or quiet time but I want to believe that it was more the feather.  Earlier today, I read something that my niece, Heidi, had shared with me.   Was it pure coincidence that this snow white feather lit upon my shoulder?....I like to think not.

~ Psalm 91:4  He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. ~