I had an unexpected houseguest recently and it brought an incredible gift, in spite of the fact that it was freaking out. It was a beautiful day and I had my sliding glass doors wide open so my dogs could come and go outside. But as soon as I heard commotion and the sound of a panicked bird, I knew we had a problem.
I ran into the living room to see a wren flying frantically around the room. My dogs were engrossed in trying to figure out what this little creature was doing in our home, so they ran around trying to capture it. Of course, this freaked out our little houseguest.
As the bird banged itself up against our glass front door and landed on the floor, I swept it into my hands and cradled it to my chest.
Now, if I'm honest, I love "watching" birds, but that old movie The Birds has always hung out in the recesses of my mind and kept me from wanting to pet them, much less hold them. If you haven't seen it, it's the old movie where birds take over a town and peck people's eyes out!
But for whatever reason, something came over me with this little bird and I just swooped it up without thinking about it. And then I began to sing to it. LOL! We have lots of critters around our home, especially a ton of deer, so when I'm outside and they walk up, I sing. It's not just any song. It's the Barney song. You know, the one that says, "I love you. You love me. We're a hap-py fam-i-ly." I'm often amazed how the deer will stop and listen. I know it's not because of my voice, but the love behind the song. And it was no different with the bird.
The wren nestled into my hands and completely relaxed. I massaged its back and it closed its eyes. I couldn't believe the connection I felt to this little guy.
I continued to sing to it as I walked it outdoors. As I opened my hands, I was sure it would fly away, but it didn't. Instead it grabbed on tight. I thought it might be hurt, but it wasn't.
My hubby, Charlie, walked up and stroked the wren's back and then picked it up to take it closer to a tree. As soon as he did, the bird flew to safety.
I walked away from that moment feeling so connected to that little bird. I knew it felt connected to me, too. I felt the light of God running through my heart and my hands and am sure that this is why the little bird was so relaxed.
I had to think about what's changed over the years from being fearful of picking up a bird to cradling one in my hands. And the answer I got is, "I feel connected."
I used to feel so disconnected from God and from everything around me. I felt quite alone. But that all changed when I made a decision to heal and created a connection to my heart.
That meant listening to my feelings, getting to know my truth, and loving myself unconditionally to allow myself to stand in it. And the deeper I moved into unconditional love, the more my heart exploded open. No longer did I feel alone. I began to feel a connection to everything. I'm talking about people, animals, trees, even bears and snakes! Yes, we have those critters, too.
Our society tells us that taking the time to go within is selfish. We should take care of everyone else at the expense of ourselves. But as we stay in a perpetual disconnect from our hearts, we disconnect from God and the world around us. But when we make a commitment to heal, we dive deep into love. And then before you know it, that love is overflowing to the world around us.
When I look at the divisiveness in our country right now, I know it's because people feel disconnected. They may not know it, but that's the crux of what's going on.
If we want our world to feel peaceful and loving, we have to make a decision to go within and heal. We have to create a connection to the love within so that it can expand out into the world.
I'm so thankful that little wren flew into my home. I'm so thankful that I got to mend an old area that was broken in my heart. I let go of my fear of the bird hurting me. I allowed the love to flow through me and was reminded that our connection to all of God's creatures begins when we create a connection within.
Former Miss USA, Terri Britt, is a Spiritual Coach, Energetic Healer, Award-Winning Author of The Enlightened Mom, and an Inspirational Speaker. Are you ready to create a connection within so you can feel more love and connection to the world? Get the guided meditation, "Grounding in God's Light," as a gift. It is the foundational tool Terri uses daily and has for two decades. It will help you be the calm in the storm and create a deep connection within so you can spread more peace and love in the world. Click here to grab it!