birds

Alfred Dreyfus was a French artillery officer.  In 1894 he was wrongly convicted of passing secrets to the Germans.  He was sent to the infamous prison on Devil’s Island.  From his cell he would see birds in flight that he called the most glorious birds.  Their flight caused him to wish to be free.  Many years later, after his release, he realized that the birds had only been seagulls.

 

In the 1971 movie Harold and Maude [one of my all time favorite movies], Maude is a concentration camp survivor.  In a scene where sea gulls fly by, she tells the story of how Dreyfus got out of prison and was disappointed to see that the birds were only seagulls.  Maude says, “to me, they will always be glorious birds.”

 

Those who love life and those who see God's handiwork in creation will find many things that they find quite glorious.

 

It’s a beautiful day in God’s world, be sure to see the good.