God provides so much for us to enjoy while we have life on this earth. So much of the joy can be found in simple things to the point that they are easy to miss. I have several bird feeding stations in my backyard. In recent weeks, I have seen a variety of birds including one vibrantly red cardinal. Watching the birds has brought me a lot of pleasure, even though I get irritated at the squirrels who steal their food.

Part of the pleasure in bird watching has come from the way my dog reacts to watching the birds. She sits at the back door intently staring at the birds and squirrels, and their activity in her yard drives her crazy. One of her favorite activities is to go out and chase the birds and squirrels out of her yard. We have a bell hanging from the back door and, when she wants out, she goes and rings the bell and then looks at us until we let her out.

She burst from the door with tremendous speed and gives the birds a bark as they ascend into nearby trees. The squirrels get up on the telephone wire and chirp down at her while the birds create their own vocal displeasure at her presence. The dog just looks up at them and struts her stuff.

It's an interesting relational activity that takes place between these three very different animals. The dog never chases the birds and squirrels serious enough to cause them any harm and the birds and squirrels always watch her strut for awhile and then they come back to feed once she goes in the back door. These very different breeds of animals have come to some sort of agreement about sharing the space that is my backyard. In spite of their differences, they have found a way to coexist. It seems that if lower species can figure out a way to coexist in spite of their differences that those of us who are suppose to be more intelligent could figure it out as well.