A Sign of Change in the Air
There’s a place where the wind shifts and the sun warms the earth again. It’s in Silverhill, Alabama, where the Purple Martins arrive every year. These birds come from far away, from the Amazon basin, where they’ve been through the heat, the rains, and the distance. And then, they fly north, to the places they know—places like this quiet town. When they return, there’s something different in the air. It’s not just the birds. It’s something you can feel in your bones.
The Journey of the Purple Martins
The Purple Martins fly high, their wings cutting through the sky. The males, dark with a blue sheen to them, glide in circles. They do not hurry, but they have purpose. They’ve come back. They’ve made it through the distance and the struggle. They are home. In their flight, there is something steady. There is something that says life moves on, even after the longest of journeys. We forget that sometimes. We think we can’t make it, but the birds remind us that we can. We can make it through, and we can come back.
The Gift of Care and Community
People in Silverhill and nearby places care for the Purple Martins. They set up houses and gourds for them. It’s a simple thing, setting up a house. But it’s good. The birds need it. And they return, year after year, not just to the houses but to the people who care for them. In the same way, we need each other. We need those who set up houses for us, who care for us when we come back. There’s a kind of grace in that, the kind that says we are never really alone in the world.
The Simple Work of Nature
The Martins do more than just fly and build nests. They eat the bugs. The mosquitoes and the beetles. They keep things in balance. They do their part. There’s something to learn from that. You don’t always have to do the grand thing, the big thing. Sometimes, the little thing, the quiet thing, is enough. The Purple Martins do the small work, and the world stays right. And maybe that’s what we’re meant to do too. Do the little things, the quiet things, and keep the world as it is.
Coming Home, Again and Again
So, when you see the Purple Martins this year, remember them. Remember the wind, the sky, the distance. Remember the small, steady things. In their return, there’s a lesson. It’s the lesson that we keep going, that we care for one another, and that we are always, always, coming home. Maybe that’s what life is about, after all. Coming home, in one way or another.
