A Kind Heart

It’s been tough to write a blog entry for the past few days, because I’ve been so upset about something that I found it difficult to find words.

I was raised to appreciate the beauty of nature around me. One of the most beautiful sights in recent days has been a pair of majestic swans that nested in a wildlife area around the corner from my house. I would drive by their pond each morning & night, just for the joy of watching them float across the water so gracefully. In my very hectic life, watching them brought a moment of serenity. So I was thrilled when they built a nest & prepared to bring little swans into the world. I hoped we would be privileged to see these babies swimming by their parents as they grew up.

I was devastated beyond words a few days later when I learned that the female swan was dead. A couple of days after that, the male was gone. We have coyotes & some wild dogs locally, so we presumed that she had been killed by one of those, & the male had then flown away. Two years ago, we lost a male swan similarly, with his body found along the side of the road. Such a sad, terrible loss to us, to have enjoyed that beauty for so short a time, only to lose them.

There are no words for my incredible shock & horror when I learned that those swans had not died from predators, but by man’s own hand, with the sanctioning of my own state government! They were, apparently, a “non-native species”, & so my own government (my own employer, in fact!) deemed that they should die. Discovering this made me physically sick.

Now, I’ve been raised to love wildlife. I also believe that when God gave us dominion over the creatures, such dominion entails a significant responsibility. So I have been heartsick for days over what happened to those swans. Truth be told, the difference between me in my earlier years & me NOW is that I am now savvy enough to know how to take action in effective ways. I won’t elaborate on my action plan here, but suffice it to say that I have had several days to try to regain my balance since this sad thing occurred.

The song I’m sharing today is one I’ve known since I was a teenager. I loved it then, & it seems appropriate today. I think that even some secular songs can spur us to godly action & reflection.

Micah 6:8 says “He has told you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

May we do more justice and love more kindness in our world today.

Bless the beasts and the children
For in this world they have no voice
They have no choice

Bless the beasts and the children
For the world can never be
The world they see

Light their way when the darkness surrounds them
Give them love, let it shine all around them

Bless the beasts and the children
Give them shelter from the storm
Keep them safe, keep them warm

Light their way when the darkness surrounds them
Give them love, let it shine all around them

Bless the beasts and the children
Give them shelter from the storm
Keep them safe, keep them warm

~~"Bless the Beasts and the Children" By Perry L Botkin, Jr. / Barry De Vorzon -- Sung by The Carpenters