Prov. 31:25

Cancer is a word, not a sentence.

Hi! My name is Jenny. I have been married to my best friend for 33 years, I have two wonderful children and on June 30, 2015 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I am determined to get well and I know that with the strength my Lord provides and the love and support of my family and friends, that will happen. The road to healing is a difficult one… however I strive to be thankful for the blessings I have, to find joy in every day and maybe in some small way be a blessing to those I come in contact with. The support and encouragement that I find on this blog makes my heart smile and helps me to realize that I am not alone. All of you are so much appreciated and help me more than you will ever know. So thanks for stopping by....if you would like please leave a comment after my post....I would love to hear from you.

Thursday, September 8, 2016

A Hummingbird Story

A Hummingbird Story
Written by Jenny Lawson

Once upon a time in a land far across the ocean, (I always start my stories this way because some of my dearest friends live “across“ the ocean) there lives a friend named Jenny. Jenny lives in a little gray and white house with her husband Scott and her two children Andrew and Emily. When Scott and Jenny were first married Scott hung a wooden bird feeder in a tree branch outside in their garden and so began a family tradition. No matter what the weather little birds could always count on fresh seed to eat and a quiet place to rest their wings or build a nest for their families.

When the leaves on the trees started changing to beautiful reds, oranges and yellows more little birds would come to eat the seed. Now the weather was cooler and sometimes the wind would blow so hard that the little feeder would sway back and forth and some of the seed would fall to the ground with the leaves, but the little birds did not worry. They knew that Jenny would fill the feeder up again and some of the bigger birds would eat the seed on the ground and be happy too.

Sometimes the weather was very, very cold. Sometimes the roof of the little wooden bird feeder would be covered in snow. Blue Jays and Cardinals would come to feed from the little feeder and there would always be seed. Little Sparrows could cuddle right up next to the bird feeder and stay warm next to the seed.

When Spring came the rain would come but the little wooden feeder would keep the seed nice and dry and while the rain would water all the little flowers in Jenny’s garden the little birds would stay dry under the overhang of the feeder and enjoy a little seed snack.

Soon it was summer and the sun would shine very brightly in Jenny’s garden. The little birds were coming to eat the seed out of the little wooden feeder and it would give them the shade in which to help stay cool. Jenny noticed however that the little birds seemed very hot and thirsty. So she placed a bird bath filled with nice cool water next to the feeder. Now the birds were very happy indeed and they spent many happy hours enjoying the seed and swimming and cooling off in the birdbath. They would sing all the time and their little songs made Jenny smile throughout the day. Jenny would stand by the windows or the door to her garden and just watch all the little happy birds enjoying her little patio.

One morning when Jenny was watching the birds she noticed a very little bird flying among her flowers. This little bird was VERY tiny and it was flapping its little wings very fast. Jenny was very excited because it was a hummingbird. Hummingbirds are very special birds and Jenny was so very happy to have him in her garden. She quickly went out and bought a hummingbird feeder and filled it with sugar water, a special hummingbird food. Pretty soon this little hummingbird brought his friends to Jenny’s garden and soon there were LOTS of hummingbirds flying outside. The sparrows and doves, orioles and finches all welcomed the hummingbirds to Jenny’s Garden and every one was so happy.

Scott and Jenny, Andrew and Emily all had so much fun watching the hummingbirds. They would not only fly very fast from one place to another but by flapping their wings very quickly they could hover in one place. They noticed that their little feet were so tiny that they could not walk on the ground and sometimes it is hard for them to shuffle on a perch. These little birds use up so much energy during the day that they actually need to eat twice their body weight every day. That is why Jenny puts so much sugar in their food so they can keep their energy level up.

One day, very early in the morning, even before the sun was up, Scott was awake. He opened up the windows of their little house and went outside to water all of Jenny’s flowers for her. He made sure that there was plenty of seed in the little wooden bird feeder and that there was plenty of sugar water for the hummingbirds. Everything was ready for the new day. On his way inside to get his coffee….Scott LOVES his coffee in the morning….he noticed a hummingbird sitting very quietly on the hummingbird feeder. It did not move. All the other hummingbirds were flying to and from the feeder getting their breakfast, but this little hummingbird did not fly away or even get a drink. He just sat there. And sat there…..and sat there….

Scott went inside to get his cup of coffee and still the hummingbird did not move. He watched from the window as he sipped his coffee from his favorite mug and still the little bird did not move. Finally he went and woke Jenny up and told her about this little, tiny bird. When Jenny looked outside the window the little hummingbird was STILL sitting on the little perch of the feeder. He had not moved…..not one little bit. Scott and Jenny even went outside and stood right next to the hummingbird feeder and the tiny little bird did not fly away. Was the little hummingbird okay? Will he ever be able to fly again? Oh my goodness….now the little bird is hanging UPSIDE DOWN! Wow! What is happening to this little bird?

As Scott and Jenny stood and watched this little bird trying to decide if he was okay a beautiful but very LARGE black and yellow oriole bumped into the hummingbird feeder and the tiny little hummingbird was pushed off his perch! Scott managed to catch him before he fell to the ground and guess what? The little hummingbird still did not wake up! He was breathing but was sound asleep!

He lay in Scott’s hand as Jenny petted him. He still did not wake up. He finally moved just a little bit to a sitting position but he was still asleep. Scott tried gently to place him on a branch in the tree but he could not hang on because he was….that is right….you guessed it….STILL ASLEEP! Jenny finally made a little, tiny bed for him from a little, tiny box and they gently laid the hummingbird inside. They placed the little box in the shade of their patio on top of their little table and quietly watched the little bird.

They ate breakfast and watched the little hummingbird.

They said “ Good Morning” to Andrew and Emily and watched the little bird.

Jenny washed the dishes and watched the little bird.

The sun came up. The gentle rays of the morning sun finally touched the little hummingbird’s wings and as Scott and Jenny, Andrew and Emily watched the little bird opened his eyes, stretched his little wings, looked around him in some surprise because he didn’t know how he had gotten into the box and quickly FLEW away to his home in the tree where his family was probably waiting for him. And guess what? Every day this little hummingbird flies from his home in the tree to get a drink from the feeder. He is always awake now! He never, ever falls asleep on the hummingbird feeder….and I think it is because he knows it is much safer for little hummingbirds to sleep in their houses at night instead of on hummingbird feeders where they can get bumped off by bigger birds and end up in little boxes.

So if you ever see a hummingbird sleeping, or hanging upside down don’t worry. They are in a condition called Torpor. In Torpor the hummingbirds lock their feet on a perch, lower their body temperature and slow down their heart rate to just a few beats per minute. They do this to protect themselves from the cold! When the sun warms up their little bodies that is when they know it is okay to wake up!

Amazing!








Hope everyone is having a great day!
~Jenny~

8 comments:

  1. :D I am so glad you took the time to tell the hummingbird story Jenny. I shared this with Brian. How very neat. I will share with the kids when they get home from school and work too! Too amazing!

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  2. Oh Jenny, what a beautiful story! I loved reading every single word of it. Hummingbirds are so very special indeed! I would love to see a real hummingbird flying someday. At least I know now that they are incredibly cute while they are still asleep! Sending lots of hugs and kisses your way from across the ocean! I'm thinking a lot about you and your family these days! PS: I can't wait for my Mom to come home so she can read and enjoy the most beautiful story ever! Lots of love, Sofia

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    1. Hi Sofia, I am so glad you liked my little story. It was really an amazing morning watching this little guy sleep! I still laugh when I picture him waking up in his box wondering how he got there! I am feeling better every day, as long as I take time to rest, lol! Sending big hugs back to you too.....I hope you have a great weekend! How is your quilt coming? I sooo love the pictures your mom has posted...just beautiful!

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    2. Hi dear Jenny! I'm so glad you are feeling better everyday. Such a relief. My quilt is actually coming along nicely! So far I have completed 19 of the 34 stars and I love making them. I'll make some pictures of them with my camera and send them to you if you like! Big hugs and thank you for your lovely response. Love, Sofia

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    3. Hi Sofia,
      19 blocks completed! That is awesome! I would love to see pictures of your quilt when you have the time! I had never heard of Dutch Heritage fabric before but you can be sure I was online looking at them after I saw your quilt blocks :) They are just lovely! I am hand piecing a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt but that takes awhile and I missed my sewing machine so when I came home from the hospital Scott and Andrew surprised me with the most beautiful blue fabric! I love blue and white quilts so I think I will be making blocks again! In fact I just dusted off my sewing machine yesterday! My fingers are itching to start....but I am finishing the binding on my pink and white quilt first....lol! Sending big hugs your way....and please give a big hug to your mom for me! Have a good week! Love, Jenny

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  3. Hello dear Jenny,

    Coming home after work Sofia immediately told me that you had posted a wonderful story about a sleeping hummingbird. Now that sounded like a fairytale and yes it was a fairytale to read! How wonderful, what a special experience that must have been. I soooo loved to see this film, hear Scott's voice. Simply loved all of it.
    You're such a good storyteller, you know (can't wait till another story will pop up, big smile ...)
    I have never seen a hummingbird except on television and I didn't know about the sun waking up these beautiful creatures.
    How special to see the birds in your garden, it felt much closer than on television, I can't explain it.
    Thank you for sharing this wonderful story, pictures and film!!!

    Have a good day, Jenny. Hugs for all of you!
    Love, Carolien

    P.S. When Liefje, Bluebell, Sem and the others will be awake tomorrow, I'll tell them the story and show them the film. Sem and the others will be super excited to see your garden and the birds, plus the familiar bird feeder ... I'm sure of it :)

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  4. I so enjoyed your hummingbird story, Jenny, as I am another big fan of hummingbirds... We have a feeder right by our kitchen window and often sit eating our dinner as we watch them hover and drink theirs :) I had no idea about the condition of Torpor, though--funny, the things you learn from friends' blogs!!

    Thinking of you and hoping your strength is returning with each and every day... Hugs to you from PA to CA!

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  5. What a great story! You have a talent there... :) I am a 'birder' also, besides a cross stitcher, so knew about 'torpor' but never saw such detail in a video! So nice of you to share with us!! Glad to hear that you are feeling better, and itching to quilt! I will follow Carol's lead, with Hugs to you from VA to CA!

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