Excellence and Humility In One Neat Package

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/uoZZ3) What better way to describe the hummingbird: excellence and humility in one neat package. This tiny bird, the smallest of all birds, is a bird acclaimed by writers throughout the years. The hummingbird bears a simple coat. The Anna Hummingbird, native to my area, wears a brownish green feather coat that blends so well into the bark here in the Pacific Northwest. Occasionally I see what a friends calls, "the Mexican hummingbirds", a variety of hummingbird just a little bit smaller and a softer brown color. Along with the simplicity of their appearance, allowing them to be nearly invisible in the branches, they sport feathers that do not carry the brilliant golden ruby colors themselves, but transform the light as it reflects upon those feathers. Many years back the Audubon referred to the hummingbird as a "glittering fragment of a rainbow". Had we not seen it with our own eyes, who of us would accept the brilliance contained within the hummingbirds' ability in flight? "Who, on seeing this lovely creature moving on humming winglets through the air, suspended as if by magic in it, flitting from one flower to another, with motions as graceful as they are light and airy, pursuing its course and yielding new delights wherever it is seen would not pause, admire, and turn his mind with reverence toward the Almighty Creator, the wonders of whose hand we at every step discover, and of whose sublime conception we everywhere observe the manipulations in his admirable system of creation."* One of the many gifts we possess, being in human form, is the ability to admire and hold the beauty of this world in reverence. We see within the same hummingbird the subtle tones as well as the rich colors that flash within our vision. We are able to translate the symbolic aspect of this balance of beauty and simplicity into our own lives as well. We can see ourselves as a reflection of our creator, speaking of our divine presence as well as our outstanding ability to create, yet we can also bow our heads and reflect, seeking so often to make choices that are for the greater good. * Quote from Birds & Nature Magazine: Volumes 17-18, 1905.