The Gift

We all love to get gifts. Pretty packages with silver ribbons or doo-jiggy adorned bags bring out the giddy child in all of us. Some gifts, however, are not wrapped in silver. Many seemingly insignificant gifts go unrecognized. Some, if we pay attention, soak into our hearts and can bring out a dose of gratitude that we can share with the world. As I get to know our four hens and rooster, I continue to be astounded at the teachers they are. Who knew?? On Thanksgiving afternoon, Pete and I camped out in the hen house rigging up a heat lamp knowing that the temperature was to drop in the low teens that night. Dressed in our carharts and big boots, the two of us took up most of the room in the building. All five chickens, who love to be next to us, scurried into the henhouse and milled around among our legs. Clover, one of the brown and white Speckled Sussex hens immediately settled herself into the nest box. We watched as she rooted around making quiet warbly sounds that we had never heard before. Meanwhile Stanley, who has grown into an enormous red rooster, jumped up and stood outside the nest box, watching over Clover as she continued to scrape away bedding, lie down, and stand up repeatedly. Clover didn’t seem to even notice or mind our presence. Twenty minutes of rooting and scraping, and suddenly Clover let out a huge squawk. Then she settled down into the bedding, stood up, and out plopped a perfect cream colored egg. Stanley’s job as protector was done, so he hopped down and began to eat. Soon Clover joined in, and all of the chickens became wildly excited, like they were proud to gift us with Clover’s egg. I’ve noticed that every time there is an egg waiting for us in the nest box, the chickens greet us with exceptional enthusiasm. It may seem like no big deal to see a chicken lay an egg, but for us it felt special and made our hearts open just a little more that day. The chickens’ collective joy over the event was an even greater gift. So simple. So perfect.

Clover, 6 months