March 11, 2015 - "Do What You Can"

I was in a rush to get my power bill payment in the mail today. I pulled my car into the post office parking lot, hopped out, and started quickly walking towards the entrance. Then I saw something green on the sidewalk. I looked down and saw a hummingbird laying on the concrete with her wings spread out. She was breathing slowly in and out but not moving otherwise. I squatted down to take a closer look. She appeared more stunned than injured and I wondered if she had accidently flown into the clear glass window on the side of the building. I was sure of one thing, though. If she stayed where she was for much longer she was either going to be accidently stepped on or end up as dinner for a stray cat. Taking the tiny bird gently in my hand I lifted her up, carried her over to the green grass, and with a few kind words lay her down.

I hoped that the camouflage of the grass would give her time to recover and said a prayer to God for her safety. Then I left her and went into the post office. The next day I returned and checked the area around where I had left her. She was gone. I smiled and imagined her flying happily around and feasting at someone’s bird feeder. It felt good knowing that even if I hadn’t done much, I had done what I could.

So often the things we do seem so small. What we don’t realize, however, is that every single one of them is important in the eyes of God. Do what you can then to make this world a better place. Do what you can to share the love within you. It can be as simple as a prayer. It can be as little as a hug. It can be as tiny as a few coins offered to help another. It can be as small as a kind word, a smile, or a wave. It can be as itty bitty as helping a hummingbird off the sidewalk. In the eyes of Heaven they are all priceless, they are all powerful, and they are all eternal. In the eyes of God they are all beacons of the light in our souls and the love in our hearts.

~ Joseph J. Mazzella ~