Gifts and Talents

Wednesday, 19 August 2020

Signs

I was sitting on the veranda with Mom, chatting about this and that. After a bit, I became distracted because of a sound I hadn’t heard before. It was commanding my attention. I interrupted Mom to inquire about the sound. We turned our attention to the sound and saw two birds flying around the backyard, near the river. I had a feeling it was coming from them but couldn’t quite make out what kind of birds they were so I jumped up to get the binoculars from the house.

I was able to focus in on one and it looked like a duck (with a large beak) but the body was off. My hunch was they were some sort of fly catchers. I grabbed my DSLR to get a picture…not the easiest thing to do as they didn’t stay still and focusing in on a small bird flying around and around was a challenge but, I managed to get one photo that wasn’t too bad, out of about 8.

I looked through the bird book to no avail so downloaded the image to my phone, used Google lens and Kingfisher came up! Yes, just the other day I had seen a Belted Kingfisher down by the river. It must be them. Sure enough, I looked at the Merlin app, listened to the sound and it was the same!

Once I identified the bird and shared my findings with Mom, the noise stopped and the birds left. Mom noticed it too and it was then I realized…that had to be a sign. What could it mean.

Funny enough, yesterday I was going through stuff in the basement to get rid of it. I came across Ted Andrew’s book: Animal Speak and I was going to give it away but something said, no, keep it. I rarely use it, preferring to check online or use another book. I was relieved I had it so I could look up Kingfisher. I won’t go into all the details but the Keynote is this: New Warmth, Sunshine, Prosperity and Love. Pretty sweet!

I don’t recall every seeing a Kingfisher in our neighbourhood before, especially as a kid. But then again, I don’t recall ever sitting on the veranda watching nature unfold as I had my breakfast either. Spending time in nature, watching it, being a part of it, opens you up to so many magical things. Not to mention keeping you grounded and centered.

Gifts and talents

Last week I wrote about having a feeling you should be doing something but not knowing what it was. Which led to gifts and talents and how we come into this world with a special gift and talent.

It seems like some people come out of the womb and their gift/talent is so obvious from their first breath. Look at toddlers on YouTube who can sing, dance, and name all the US Presidents. For others though, it can be tough to figure out.

Our special gift/talent is usually something creative and something we are innately good at. Look back at your childhood and remember what you used to like to spend your time doing. Maybe you wrote stories, liked to bake cookies, built forts or tree houses, liked playing with mighty machines, took pictures, drew, painted, danced, sang, skipped, jumped, played sports, skated…

Is there something you do today that comes naturally for you? Maybe you’re a good listener and people are always telling you stuff. It never fails – at least before Covid – people would come up to me in stores, in line-ups, wherever and tell me their problems. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but…” or “I’ve never told anyone this before…” are two common phrases I hear a lot.

These are just a couple of ways to discover and reconnect with your special gifts/talents.

Today’s Photos:

Some photos of my garden: chamomile, blooming licorice mint, lemon balm and corn cobs!

Tonight was the night we finally got together to make our teacup candles. The workshop we wanted to attend in March was cancelled due to COVID and we’ve had the kits since early April but, again, thanks to COVID, we didn’t get together.