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KNOCKING ON HEAVENS DOOR

A Bird in the Hand

By Eladio Del CastilloPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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I was abruptly startled from my deep meditation (some would call it an early nap) by a loud banging in the vicinity of my rear window. “Now who could that be at this time of the morning,” I thought. “And why did they not use the front doorbell?” I quickly rose from my comfortable chair in the living room. “One of my neighbors must be having some sort of emergency,” I quickly surmised. There it goes again the banging continued intermittently, close to the windowpane. I hesitated at the rear door for a moment assessing the situation, then decided that I would look out of the window first before opening the door to who knows what.

I slowly snuck up on the inside shutters of the living room windows and cautiously opened just enough of the wooden slats to see who would dare enter my back yard and blatantly disturb my contemplation? My heart almost jumped out of my chest for there right in my face with his menacing beak a-pecking was a giant red-headed pleated woodpecker slamming at the glass trying to break through with all his might. He must have seen me through the heavy- duty sun block film that most of us Floridians have installed on our windows to alleviate our abodes from the blistering sun. The pecker-head spread his giant wings and darted away. I muttered several of my emergency Anglo-Saxon-Monosyllables at him as up and away he flew. I then meandered back to my chair and morning meditation.

With introspective reflection one must clear his mind completely of all menial thoughts but the experience with the woodpecker continued to invade my imagery. Just when I thought I had relaxed enough to continue with my task at hand there he was again, Woody, the annoying bird was back knock, knock, knocking, on my windowpane. This time I went to the window flaying my arms and shouting get away from here, you dumb bird, though I did reckon him a beautiful specimen.

In my distraught I happened to glance at the new birdfeeder my wife had adorned our front flower bed with. It was empty, not a morsel of seed on the perch or in the feeder. Immediately, I recognized that the woodpecker was simply trying to awaken us so we would refill his food container. Is this possible, I thought. Are creatures of the wild really that clever?

I found the seed where the wife kept it and re-filled the feeder. I went back to my meditation and somehow felt that I had gotten a distinct message from the great beyond.

I named the annoying woodpecker Clarence, and since the encounter I am sure to always have his favorite seed ready for him when he makes his visits and I have not been bothered since by the knocking.

In meditation I seek for answers to health and prosperity It is as though I am knock, knock “knocking on heaven’s door.” I presumed the woodpecker was just “knocking for food on ‘his’ heaven’s door.” Because we had forgotten to feed him.

I am going to have to admit that somehow, I learned a lesson about that day when Clarence the red headed woodpecker visited.

Whenever I hear a baby cry, I know that something could be wrong with it. When I hear tires squealing, I wait to hear the crash. When I see an old woman pushing a grocery buggy down the street full of old rags and bottles, I know she has a problem. When I see a country that once held peace, love, and opportunity, for its people endure riots hate crimes wars and rumors of wars I listen intently.

Someone is knock, knock, knocking, from heaven’s door and I can almost see him through the smoke and fires that are consuming our land.

It is time to be creating good seed for the provider.

Lad

humanity
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About the Creator

Eladio Del Castillo

I am the son of a son of a daughter born somewhere in northern Spain. I try to meld a melody of their life experiences with my own. It is all about growth and making the good last the longest. Check me out.

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