Five Minute Friday – Stir

The wind stirs, and the clatter of chimes greets the morning. I smile at the sound as I glance at the colorful pelican staring down at me from atop its wooden perch.

In a perfect world, I would hear the sound of deep-toned wind chimes versus a wooden clattering. And those melodic chimes would definitely not sport a pelican on the top.

Fitting nothing in my typical decor style, this pelican flies with honor, causing gratefulness to stir my heart as I thank God for my sister, rejoicing that she is alive and well.

And making me smile still.

The pelican wind chime was a silly gift from her. (Because she knows how much I love the ocean, wind chimes, and pelicans – although not necessarily combined into one). Or perhaps, she chose it because it was one of the few chimes available when she sought to find me a thank-you gift last year. And she figured my grandkids would like it, at the least.

This tropical bird, so out of place in my Ohio climate, reminds me of love and laughter in the middle of a dark season. A sentimental sentinel of healing and life when cancer and death encroached on our doorstep. And so, the pelican came out again this year.

Because although its aesthetic appeal may not necessarily rank among my favorite things, my sister does.

As I write this, Mary is wrapping up a vacation along the ocean’s shore, her body now cancer-free. And I am sitting here at home penning these words through eyes blurred by grateful tears, praising God to the accompaniment of a wooden pelican’s clatter.

Later today, I will walk to her house to gather her mail and check on her aging dog. It’s a small task I’m thankful to perform. Grateful that Mary is still here to ask me for a sisterly favor.

Memories have stirred this week as I’ve placed her mail atop the kitchen counter, now absent of the headscarves purchased last year to cover a thinning scalp. (Despite our comical attempts, I never did help her get the knack for tying one anyway.) Thankfully, she now has a headful of beautiful, soft curls as a covering.

I’m grateful there are no doctor’s appointments on her calendar. No chemotherapy or radiation sessions around which to schedule her trip.

I rejoice that she has the energy to take two grandsons along on this adventure with her husband.

I’m even more thankful she and Don weathered this last year together, a testimony of their marriage covenant, honoring the “worse” of the “for better or worse” portion of their vows.

And I’m grateful they let me share a bit of that togetherness with them.

Imperfectly.
But together.
And closer to God through it all.

Perhaps that is the greatest gift of the trials. This gift of drawing close to God and each other during life’s darkest moments and the hardest of days.

As the wind stirs, so does the praise in my heart.

And my pelican steadily clatters its message of love, hope, and new beginnings.

Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed,
for His mercies never fail.
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!
– Lamentations 3:22-23

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This post is written in conjunction with https://fiveminutefriday.com/2022/06/09/fmf-writing-prompt-link-up-stir/ Teaming up with an online group of writers who encourage others to share the words God has given them. The gist is to write for five minutes on a one-word prompt, then post your writing and link up with others who do the same — no overthinking, no deep editing, just free-writing in a short amount of time.