No Place Like Home

We had a visitor drop by a few days ago, and we named him Howie. Strolling along our driveway, he seemed a bit dazed and confused. When we first saw him, Kyle threw some bird seed down, and he pecked at it warily. A few hours later, Mark and I realized he was still on our front porch and as we walked towards him, the pigeon flew up to the corner of the eaves on our roof. We noticed there was a tag on his leg, and as we couldn't get close enough to read the numbers, I tried taking this picture, with the hopes that I could zoom in and read the digits. No such luck.



Next day, I all but forgot about our friend, went to work, came home only to find Hannah holding the bird, which I soon learned she had named Howie. Nora and Hannah had been feeding him cheerios and had to distract Ellie who had a sudden urge for pointing.

Hannah read off the numbers on the leg band, and Nora googled them and we found out that Howie was a racing pigeon from the Fond Du Lac racing club. After a few phone calls back and forth--and after talking to his owner, we placed him in Ellie's small kennel and waited for him to be picked up.

The pigeons owner explained that Howie was a young bird, born this year, and he had escaped and flew away. He had lost other birds in the past, but had never recovered any, so he was pleased to be able to place Howie in the soft sided, almost luggage like container in the back of his car.

Mark learned that Jim, the bird owner, lets the training birds loose in Madison, and by the time he gets home to Hartland, the birds are waiting for him. Older, more experienced birds fly home from longer trips--each trip involves more mileage. As the bird completes each assignment, the owner's confidence in the bird grows, and longer trips are assigned and accomplished.

Once again, my spiritual life mirrors nature around me. God gives me assignments, at first small in nature, and it is a test. Will I obey--accomplish the task and come back home--looking towards the Lord for direction, for my next test, all the while, growing more like Jesus every day?

I learned that the pigeons interact with humans from the minute they are born, and they learn to associate people with home. This may be why, when we put Howie in the garage while we rounded up Ellie's carrier, the door opened as it wasn't latched properly. Howie promptly came inside the house, and Nora found him walking by the counter in the kitchen! People meant home, and he was desperately looking for his belonging place.

I do believe that we have this innate sense to find home, and home is only found when we have a relationship with our Creator. I have tried to fill that longing with many things, and sometimes when I lose my way, I find myself resorting to old, unhealthy patterns. Relationships, food and acceptance do not take me home. Jesus is where I belong.