Hope is Infinite

 

On such a brilliant, sunny day, this hummingbird feeder seemed an alien space ship as it hangs suspended among the bare limbs of winter. The red color is alive in the sun. I could hear in my mind the sound effects from those wonderfully awful 1950-1960s science fiction movies, full of flying saucers, that my father and I would watch on Saturday afternoons when the weather kept us from our chores.

It also seems strange to see a hummingbird feeder minus the hummingbirds. One expects to see the zipping and sipping of these marvelous creatures whenever you see such an avian version of a 7-11. But all is quiet.

During these long, continuing days of Covid, we have seen many such scenes. Movie theaters with no fans. Restaurants with no hungry patrons. Church buildings with no worshipers. Parks with no playful children. Schools with no students. Public pools with no public. Strange and disturbing sights all.

But life has gone on. In new ways, in different ways, we continue. Necessity and spirit drive us ever forward, as does the call of ancient rhythms drive the birds from place to place and season to season. Each week it seems a neighbor posts a sign celebrating the birth of a child. Holidays are celebrated. Anniversaries come and go. Love is found. Relationships end. We lose loved ones. Life hasn’t stopped, but it has changed.

These days reveal what holds us fast, or our need for something to hold us fast. Hope is a powerful thing. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr said,

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” These odd and challenging days that feel like a birdless bird feeder are finite. Hope is infinite, as is love and kindness and compassion. Let these be our guide. Let these be our mission in the world for each other.

Peace.