Small Things Change Us

Off in the distance
A single bird sings sweetly
A sign this gray February morning
Spring will come soon

Heartened by its melody
I lingered, longer than usual
Soaking in last notes
Stirring hope within me

A mystery to me–
How such a small creature
can ignite such passion
with so simple a song

What a serendipitous blessing, I thought
For something so small to weigh so large
Something so unexpected to spark unity–
A sense God is always there

Something inside me changed, and now
climbing a mountain today
seems far less important
than sitting in quiet holy reception

Author: Don Iannone, D.Div.

Biography Photographer, poet, teacher, complementary medicine provider, interfaith minister, and former economic developer. Holds a Doctorate in Divinity, Master of Divinity, Master of Mind-Body Medicine, and Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology. Clinical certifications in Reiki, guided meditation, life purpose coaching, and spiritual counseling.  Author of 12 books, including two new books in the contemporary spirituality field. Learn more here. Contact Information Contact Don Iannone by email: diannone@gmail.com

18 thoughts on “Small Things Change Us”

  1. Just looking at one of your previous blog incarnations and noticed this:

    “Don Iannone
    Show up in life. Amazing things happen when you do.

    View my complete profile”

    Back in my ‘monk’ days, someone mentioned this sign they saw in Las Vegas:

    “You must be present to win.”

    We all thought that that was a useful reminder.

    LOVE!

  2. lovely, I really enjoyed this!
    my birds came in the night – two owls singing softly to each other of love – and my sleep was comforted.

  3. Thanks Dan. You Jazz guys stick together.

    Floots: Thanks. I can imagine that whistle of yours.

    Pat: Thanks. I guess birds of a feather, well, stick together.

  4. Don, I did that very same thing the last cold day we had. One bird on a bare limb with a beautiful song to sing. Beautiful written!!

  5. i am a non-religious person
    (but with a pantheistic note in my whistle) 🙂
    and this does the job for me
    and i’m with borut as to roland kirk
    cheers

  6. Andrew: Thanks. Yes, I agree. I’m ready spring, but is spring ready for us?

    Borut: Thanks. I will have to look up this piece by Kirk.

  7. Beautiful, Don!:) Reminds me of Roland Kirk, the great jazz musician, and of his great piece called Bright Moments!:) Best wishes!:)

  8. funny – I just wrote a tanka mentioning a singing bird in the night, due to the unusual warmth. I guess we’re all thinking of spring. 🙂

  9. Paul: Yes indeed, a songbird prayer. Good size-up of what I experienced. And best of all, God was there and I was there to witness.

  10. Nice, I don’t know what it is exactly about bird calls, but they can resonate deeply. I used to be out at dawn a lot. Don’t know my birds, but there was this one call that used to enchant me – very simple, a pair, as I recall, of fairly sustained notes, one higher one lower, that would come at infrequent, stately-sounding intervals. Was like celebration touched with melancholy and somehow sounded to me something like a prayer.

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