Today was a hallowed day. I haven’t had a day quite like it since the afternoon the flock of golden waxings descended on a bush in the backyard and ate berries. Today was also visited by birds – by a very special bird, a kingfisher. This was the very first time I had
from wikipedia.com
ever seen a kingfisher in the wild. It was an incredible gift to see such a remarkable bird. I spied him perched on the power lines above a cornfield. I thought… “it couldn’t be, not here, but it sure looked like…” After a u-turn in the road to go back to him, he was unmistakably a kingfisher. He was glorious black-blue, with that sharp long beak, and great crested feathers. He dived off the power line and skimmed through the cornfield before flying back toward the car and resuming his perch. Wow! I couldn’t have been more thrilled. It was all the more a special encounter because I just happened to look up in time to see him and because kingfishers don’t normally frequent cornfields. They are riparian birds, amazingly talented hunters that dive into rivers to catch their food. They make their nests along the river’s edge so they can always listen to the laughing rivulets. They are one of my favorite birds. (I have a passion for birds with topknots or crests) and I’ve always wanted to see one. Today it happened in the most unlikely place – a true miracle. Here is a beautiful poem about kingfishers for you to enjoy with me.
The Kingfisher
It was the Rainbow gave thee birth,
And left thee all her lovely hues;
And, as her mother’s name was Tears,
So runs it in my blood to choose
For haunts the lonely pools, and keep
In company with trees that weep.
Go you and, with such glorious hues,
Live with proud peacocks in green parks;
On lawns as smooth as shining glass,
Let every feather show its marks;
Get thee on boughs and clap thy wings
Before the windows of proud kings.
Nay, lovely Bird, thou art not vain;
Thou hast no proud, ambitious mind;
I also love a quiet place
That’s green, away from all mankind;
A lonely pool, and let a tree
Sigh with her bosom over me.William Henry Davies
Blessings to you,
Sarah
anordinarymiracleday 
Sarah, what a beautiful experience 😉 Luck is with you today. Miracles happen when we remain aware of what is happening around us. Best wishes, WG
Hi, Sarah, I am going through “old” emails, some I hadn’t read because I was “away” from computers, the internet, etc., but I do enjoy “catching up” with you. I wondered if you are keeping your writings and planning to put them into a book. Some bloggers do and yours would be worth more reading. You may already be planning to do that, but if not, I’d encourage you to pursue that. I’m not sure “traditional” publishing companies are the way to go anymore, unless you write a “#1 bestseller” or have a tremendously large following. That’s what I’ve heard from writers’ groups/agents. You may find yours would be snatched up and you’d benefit from the book. Otherwise, I’d encourage you to think about creating your own book. An editor who wanted my work to get out, suggested I do “self-publishing.” At first, I thought he meant I’d be handing out “ugly” copies I’d assembled! 🙂 Not really, but close. He’d had 29 of his books published at that point, co-authored others, and had helped launch some “now popular” Christian writers. So after hearing from three or four companies that they personally liked my work, but their publishing “board” probably wouldn’t take it on because 1) I didn’t have a television or radio show or was a well-known speaker, and 2) my writing was not a fast read: “too thoughtful” for modern readers, I opted to go the self-publishing route. I checked out a couple and paid to have it published by Xulon. They are nice Christians, but I would not go that route again because, after moving to Oklahoma and joining a writers group, I learned about CreateSpace. I can get the books published quickly, and just one or one hundred, etc, each for the same price. The price is much less per book than it would be through Xulon. I also can control my eBook price, and can offer it for free to help raise it higher on the one million or so on Amazon. Will I make money? Not sure I would ever get along without Social Security on what I’ve written! However, I believe we Christian writers can be edifiers and missionaries to the reading world, so I kind of do what I can and leave “the rest” to the Lord. In the days when I was operating my cleaning business or teaching at the school, I spent some time sensing that I was “burying” my “one talent” allotment regarding writing that I believed I was given to use to glorify the Lord. I didn’t want stand before the Lord without developing the talents I was to use for my Master. I felt the other things I was doing was important, but I wasn’t sure I was using my time correctly. So as I sat beside a drawer full of “potential” articles, etc, with a prayerful encounter with the Lord, I realized what I was doing, even the mundane like doing dishes and fixing meals, was just as holy, at least as holy, as writing some prize-winning book that would convert thousands (or whatever). So, I knew I was to wait for a writing time to come later. In the years of Paul’s ministry, I did some writing that was useful for perhaps “audiences” of a hundred… etc. Anyway, eventually, when my children were grown, I had time I could give to writing. I wrote for newspapers and eventually got busy on a novel. And that brings me up to today. I now go via CreateSpace for the reasons given above. I think your writing is worthy of a greater audience, and your photography is as well. I’ll be your cheerleader if you go ahead with publishing books. Later, Margery Kisby Warder