In March of 2020, almost a year ago now, I started opening our bedroom window at night to let fresh air in and have done so every night since. The first thing I noticed was all of the birds singing and how early many of them start chirping each day. I noticed how some don’t ever seem to rest at all. Perhaps this is, in part, due to artificial lighting or other changes to their natural environment.
Now, in January 2021, we find ourselves in the darkest days of winter and sadly, many of the bird sounds have been drowned out by the sirens from ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks; especially in the past month. Each time I hear one, I think of that family being affected by sickness or another health or personal emergency and whether it helps or not, who am I to know, I pray for that stranger’s return to health and normalcy. I also pray for the incredible people trying to help them in their time of need.
I wish I could say that as we inch towards Spring and vaccinations and a season where the light increases a little more each day, we will put these dark days of the pandemic behind us. But unlike our natural cycle towards rebirth and more light in Spring, it feels like the next two months will surely be some of the darkest times we have faced during the pandemic and perhaps as a country.
In these extraordinary times, may we hold our loved ones close. May we reach out to friends we’ve been long separated from for no good reasons. May we be smart and be safe. And…may we hope for an eternal Spring for all of us as we anxiously await a temporal return to a world where the birds’ beautiful natural sounds are not silenced by the shock of alarms and sirens.