The Rev. Canon Anne E. Kitch
Canon for Ministry Formation and Transitions
I know every bird in the sky,
and the creatures of the fields are in my sight.
Psalm 50:11
I know the creature’s presence by the rustling in the bushes. Squirrel? Bird? Chipmunk? I stop, letting the world settle around me. More than my body, I still my thoughts, allowing my senses to expand.
Calm seems to spread out around me, as if I am the stone cast into the pond and ripples of stillness move out from me quieting the world. The rustling comes again and this time a tentative chirp. Still, I cannot see what must be a bird, perfectly camouflaged even in the bare winter landscape.
What is it like to be cared for by God who sees all creatures, who knows each one, takes note of its comings and goings? And does the sparrow know me also, by my rustlings in this world? What kind of telltale signs reveal my presence?
I go on my way, nodding a greeting to the one whose hiding place I have not discovered, recognizing nevertheless my traveling companion. Today I too will be a wild creature in the hand of God.