Tiny as a hummingbird egg, but much bigger than I am
The light falls slant on my front yard fuchsia, casting a warm glow over the hummingbird nest. It’s cloaked in shadows for most of the day, but this is the bewitching hour.
I climb the ladder I’ve positioned earlier—a bridge between mama hummingbird’s world and mine. Carefully, so I don’t disturb the nest or its inhabitants. Cautiously, so predators won’t track my movements.
“Hello, Luna,” I whisper.
Mama Hummingbird tilts her head toward the sound of my voice. She tracks me with her bright, round eyes, but even when I raise my camera—slowly, so as not to startle her—she rests peacefully on the nursery she’s built for her babies-to-be. We observe each other quietly, taking the measure of each other’s essence. And then suddenly, she zooms toward the nectar-rich flowers behind me, a flash of iridescent wings and feathers.
Two alabaster eggs, smaller than Tic-tac mints, are nestled into the bottom of her little jewel box. Such an honor, to be entrusted with these tiny treasures!
On closer examination, I realize there are three!
This is one of those serendipitous moments I live for–when I find myself in nature’s sanctuary, bearing witness to something as magnificent as this. Something as rare as a Super Blue Blood Moon, or perhaps three, pearlescent hummingbird eggs. A still, small voice says “Look!” And when I soften my gaze, the veil between heaven and earth is lifted.
