02.23.16 Listen to The Mockingbird

02.23.16  Listen to The Mockingbird

Mockingbirds are best known for the habit of mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. (Wikipedia)

Mockingbirds -- They Sing Their Heart Out For Us

The summer of 1962 was the year between my 7th and 8th grades of junior high school when I was at an important crossroads in my young life.  My sister Sandra, the  firstborn of six siblings, was home on break from college.  She was put in charge of us by our parents who both worked outside jobs during the day.  You’d think she would have required help with chores or housework, but no, not from me. Each day her demand was that I read a few pages of a novel before going out to enjoy a little freedom with friends.  Not only did I shun my sister’s attempt at sparking my interest in learning, but that was the only book I would finish reading for many years.  

To Kill a Mockingbird, Best Seller, 1960

                                               

With the recent death of 90 year old author Harper Lee, this memory came vividly back to me.  Lee was the author of the novel required for me to read, the 1960 bestseller and Pulitzer Prize winner, To Kill a Mockingbird.  Harper Lee was age 31 when she wrote a book that raised awareness of racial injustice in the south before the sixties civil rights movement.  While she won national awards from three different presidents, it was the only book she would write for many years.  The fictional novel from a young girl’s perspective, was based on Lee’s own experience growing up as the child of a southern lawyer, and she was also a lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama.

A Young Nelle Harper Lee

  

During my crossroads season, requiring reading and study, my sister Sandra was giving me guidance that I was reluctant to take.  Preferable to me at the time was the road of having fun and avoiding responsibility. Less appealing was the option of heading down the road toward learning.  That direction would mean time and effort applied for using awareness to invest in thinking, pursue understanding, and prepare for a life of useful purpose. It completely escaped me until later, that life is a gift which holds opportunities for experiencing the rewards of helping others.   While having been taught by many well-meaning people, I did not grasp the difference between temporary fun and long-term goodness.  I could not see my own need for spiritual growth in a life of faith, until a crisis as an adult, much later on.

The loss of my oldest sister to a terminal illness when she was age 34 was the exact crisis that changed the direction of my life .  The same sister who had tried to teach me curiosity for learning and social conscience  had a passionate love for children, but no family of her own. She was a talented musician at the beginning of her career as a university psychology professor devoted to helping guide young minds who were more open to possibilities.  

Mockingbirds Still Sing Over Her Grave

Immediately after she was gone, I deeply missed the way my sister talked about all of life and about the world.  There was a huge gap formerly filled by our stimulating daily discussions.  Her death was the wake up call and beginning of my willingness to explore the purpose of my life.  I enrolled and graduated from the same university where she taught until her death.  A strong feeling of being sent by her guidance accompanied constant reminders of her dedicated spirit.  For example, her name is still displayed at the the study library named for her at the psychology wing of that university. Her favorite piano music, which I also learned to play, can still remind me of her presence in my home. In many ways over subsequent years I have felt like I was imitating her curiosity and passion for life.  Until one day I realized, she had invested herself in me, and that is more than a memory.  She gave me the gift of her time and her patience.  She believed in me, and my future and my purpose, when I did not believe in myself.

The Caged Bird Sings a Freedom Song

Today I am grateful for the many life lessons of my early years, and people who had patience with my youthful ego.  It still takes practice and willingness to shift negative emotions to let go of anything short of experiencing goodness.  When we see goodness in someone else, it makes us more aware of possibilities.  Some say, there are no coincidences, if it’s Good, it’s God.  My sister was a role model for me with her love of The United Methodist Church.  She found open mindedness there, and freedom to question issues of faith.  I eventually followed her example in the area of spirituality which has also taken me through the open doors of The United Methodist Church. Today prayer and expectant hope are foundations for my faith, based on a life of service.

Expectant hope would best describe my sister's preparation for her transition from life here as we know it, to the next life. That was a bittersweet time.  When her time of passing came, I wondered what, if anything, could I do for her, but she simply asked, “ ….just don’t forget me.”  My promise was given to show gratitude every day for the powerful ways my sister Sandra influenced my life. Forty years later, since 1976, this remains my desire.  How can I listen for the song of the mockingbird, which gives guidance to inspire goodness and faith?

So When You See a Birdhouse, Listen for The Mockingbird