I was just about to change out the winter wreath on my door with a more spring-y one when I realized birds built a nest in it.

If you drive by my house and notice I still have pine cones and fake frost-covered pine needles on my door, please don’t call the HOA on me; I couldn’t bear to take this sweet little refuge-seeking birdie family and throw them out on their tail feathers just because I want my door to look pretty and perfect.

By letting those birds remain on my wreath, they have done so much more for me than I’ve done for them.

Throughout the day, when I’m working away at my desk, I’ll start to hear one of my very favorite sounds in the whole world, “Tweet tweet tweet! Tweet tweet tweet!”

I turn to look out of my office and up to the front door window. It’s like God’s mini live theater.

Most of the day I can’t see them, but when I hear the furious chirping, the beautiful red-crested momma bird appears and perches herself on the edge of the nest. Then the little baby bird’s head pops up looking like an Easter peep 🐣

I think, “Yay feeding time!” then stop whatever I’m doing to watch.

Momma bird chews up whatever she found to nourish her baby and deposit into it’s beak through her own.

In between each transfer the baby bird chirps furiously into it’s Momma’s face. It makes me picture my own kids as babies when they were hungry, screaming hysterically. I’d be just like this Momma bird, frantically trying to calm them down with food.

It goes on for less than 5 minutes, but it’s such a welcome reprieve to my day. A break from all the hateful people in the world.

A break from hearing about the latest racism du jour – attacks on Asian Americans.

A break from discovering that the Pope was pressured by the Catholic Church to back-peddle on his beautiful sentiment about gay couples being a good thing as long as love was there.

A break from hearing how Mommas trying to give their babies a better life in America are being met with disdain because some liked it better when they were just bounced back to the living nightmare they came from.

It’s like my birdies. Sure you’re going to get some bad birds that are going to shit on your windshield, but you’re also going to get some really lovely people who just want to protect their families. Don’t toss them away just because of the idea in your head of what makes a “prettier door”.

Try to remember that most of these people are not like the awful image that hateful leaders have created for you to believe.

They are living, breathing humans made by God. A God who I believe wants safety for all his creatures – Asian, gay, straight, foreign, and feather-covered alike.