It’s not necessary to travel very far from home in order to witness small miracles. Case in point is the view from the large window in our kitchen. The window looks out onto our side yard. In spring and summer most of this area is taken up by a vegetable garden and strawberry patch. But now it’s winter. The garden is just weeds and dirt and the strawberries are dormant. There are four fruit trees; a pear, Gravenstein apple, pluot and a cherry. The trees are dormant now too, their bony branches silently awaiting the bud break of spring.

About 100 yards away in my neighbor’s yard sits a large Coast Redwood. Using the “stick method” for measuring the height of a tree that I learned on YouTube, I found this tree to be well over 100 feet tall. The other day I came into our kitchen and pulled the blinds up to let in the morning light. The redwood is one of the first things I see. I just love looking at this tree. Like a silent sentinel it towers above everything else in our neighborhood. On this particular morning the sky was overcast and gray, a light mist was falling which added an extra glow to the scene. I noticed a large bird fly towards and land in the very top of the redwood. It’s not uncommon for me to observe raptors like Red-tailed and Red-shouldered hawks perched up there. I grabbed my binoculars for a better look and was amazed to see that this bird as a Peregrine Falcon. Over the years, I’ve seen many different species of birds in and around our yard but never a Peregrine. Several decades ago this bird was an endangered species. In all my years of birding I’ve only see them a handful of times. This made my sighting extra special. Peregrines typically eat other birds. They hunt from a high perch. When prey is spotted, they dive down at speeds of up to 200mph. Their prey never has a chance. Now my eyes are really open and on the lookout. Sure enough, the Peregrine returned to the same spot the next day. It made me wonder, just how long had this bird been coming to this tree? I’m sure this wasn’t the first time it had been up there, it was just the first time I had noticed.

Another object that dominates the view from our kitchen window is a 25 foot tall privet tree. These trees start out as bushes but can quickly grow quite tall if not pruned back. Our neighbor clearly has not done any pruning. Every winter the privet is covered with thousands of small purple berries which hang in grape-like clusters. It is a favorite stop for many different birds but the one species that appears to love these berries above all others is the Cedar Waxwing. Waxwings are handsome birds. They are a lovely buff brown. Their crest sweeps back in a kind of hipster hairstyle terminating in a point behind their heads. A dark Cleopatra type mask frames their eyes. The very tip of their tail feathers is bright yellow. When the privet berries are ripe, I often observe flocks of 15-20 birds gorging themselves. I look forward to this spectacle every year. When the berries start to ripen, I know the waxwings are on their way. When the berries are gone, so are the birds. It is a fleeting and beautiful moment.

How many other small miracles have been going on around me unnoticed as I go about the mundane tasks of everyday life?  Miracles small and large are happening everywhere. We simply need to open our eyes to see them.