I’ve been noticing a crow flying out back the last few days. Yesterday morning, I was sitting at my desk going through emails and noticed the crow land on the patio. It plucked some weeds that were growing between the stones, and flew off. First, I thanked the crow for doing that bit of weeding (I could get used to that kind of help). Then, I wondered if the crow was gathering things to build a nest. Sometime later that morning, I noticed the crow fly into one of the birch trees out back and grab a small twig, then fly off. Surely this crow is building a nest.
I’m not a huge fan of crows, I must confess. I know they play their role in Nature—hold their spot in the food web, etc.—but, no offense to crows, they are nowhere near as sweet as the goldfinches and bluebirds that frequent our feeder.
And yet, when I saw that crow collecting sprigs and twigs, and I thought about it building a nest and mating and how there will soon be baby crows…well, my heart softened.
The work of building home. The work of creating new life. The work of living. We are all getting along in our own ways, aren’t we? Preening our feathers, gathering comforts of home, foraging for nourishment. We do this literally. We do this figuratively.
And when I pause to really think about this, it’s true that my heart softens. My heart softens toward the crow. And then it softens to the rest of life…to our Earth, to each and every person living on this Earth. I whisper a prayer that everyone might have a crow build a nest in his/her yard. Or something close to that. It’s a whispered prayer for softness. Toward each other. Toward our Earth. Toward life.
Do you hear the whisper?
Sending a little love your way, m
Michelle GD 
Crows are always visiting our backyard, we have a bird water bath in there, so they come to drink water. I like their visit but they scare the other birds, like robin and redbird that visit our backyard frequently. My husband is always complaining about the crows, I say to him that they are part of nature, they clean the Earth, and they get thirst like all the other birds. Hugs to you!
It’s so true that they’re just doing their thing, and that they’re a part of Nature. They’re not as sweet, perhaps, and not as showy…but they’re who they are :)
a softness towards each other, that is something the world needs more now than ever before. I’m not a crow fan, but I am a huge nature lover, I think often of my dad who is a nature lover and taught me all I know and my his mom who had the best welcoming flower garden ever. We walked down the dirt road and I inhaled the woods scent and loved every minute of it.
I agree that the world needs softness now more than ever before. xo
And what lovely memories you have that tie you to nature. That is so, so good.
Michelle, your thoughts on the crow let me to think about how important it is to allow our hearts to remain soft towards the ‘crows’ we meet in our daily life – the abrasive shopper in the check out line, the impatient driver, the misfit at a social gathering – we are all walking this earth together and if we approach even those who ‘ruffle our feathers’ with a heart of kindness and empathy the world somehow seems softer. Thank you for this lovely reminder. xx
Oh yes, Grace…that’s it exactly. xo
I have a soft spot for crows, ravens and jackdaws, they’re not so pretty but they are really smart, bit like me haha.
Everyone – every creature – has something special to appreciate, eh? I kinda love that you’ve a soft spot for these birds.