Today an acquaintance of mine passed away. I knew very little about him, other than his name and how much he loved birds and flowers. When he would come into the office, wheeling an oxygen tank with one hand and holding magazines in the other, he’d entice me to come sit with him. “I have the lastest Bird’s and Blooms issue,” he’d smile and tap the seat next to him.
Who could resist?
I didn’t know he had been in the hospital for the past two weeks. He may have told me he had children but I don’t remember. And when I heard the news he had gone to live with the Lord, I wept as if I’d known him, as if he played a significant role in my life.
The last time we talked, we thumbed through the spring addition. He was planning to make bird feeders. The prototype was in his mind. I told him all about my husband’s bees and promised him a jar of honey; but, I never got it to him. I wanted to remember what his bird feeder would look like and why it was so special but I couldn’t.
Every day we encounter people – some of whom we will never see again. What impression do we leave? How do they imprint our lives and how do we imprint theirs?
Tonight as I drove home, I remembered something he said to me. At the time it seemed simple enough, but now, I realize how significant his words were to me. As if he knew somehow what my heart was feeling; the struggles I was facing; and the deep grief within. He told me something he’d learned about birds, “You know what, Ms. Nora? Birds do not sing because they are supposed to sing, birds sing because they have a song to sing.”
I really think he meant life. We all have a role to play here. We do not live because we are supposed to live, we live because we have a part in this world.
Play your part well.
