Pelly Can

I love to run on the beach for several reasons. It’s good exercise with a great view and I often find the most interesting things that only Mother Nature can produce. Not long ago as I jogged along the beach I noticed large brown Pelican flying just inches above the sand instead of the water. Suddenly it dropped to a soft landing on the beach right in front of me and stared out into the ocean. Its mate was out there skimming above the waves searching for fish, but there was something different about this wise old bird who perched himself solidly in the sand.

 

The pelican is kind of an odd creature. It appears to be rather ugly and strange looking as it sits still, perhaps even a bit useless. But when a Pelican takes flight they are absolutely breathtaking as they skim silently along the surface of the ocean, then soar high in the sky, only to dive down at extreme speed scooping up one fish after another. Their beaks are actually three times larger than their stomachs enabling a mother Pelican to store fish in her beak in order to feed her young when food supplies run short. But mother Pelicans don’t stop there. If they run out of food and their chicks are hungry, they will tear out their own chest muscles to feed their young. In fact both male and female Pelicans have been known to pierce their own side with their beak and break veins in order to feed blood to a sick baby chick. For that reason, the Pelican became an obvious symbol for Christ and is even used in the coat of arms for places like Corpus Christi College in Cambridge. (Here’s a thought…if a Pelly can be a symbol for Christ…maybe we can be too!)

I don’t know why this particular Pelly chose to land right by me, but as I walked up close to him he looked me straight in the eye. It almost felt like he was trying to tell me something. Obviously Pelicans can’t talk, but this wise old bird was definitely standing there at that exact moment for a reason. I kept thinking about that Pelly and his strange behavior for days.

 

Then it came to me….Sometimes things that appear to be useless can actually be quite valuable when put in motion! After talking with my wife we realized that ever since we moved to our small beach cottage we have been storing a huge amount of furniture and household items in a large mini-storage unit. All those things have been sitting there absolutely useless collecting dust, and since we know we are going to keep living at the beach for at least another year or two, we decided to give it all away. It took several truck loads and a lot of “motion and emotion” but as of this Friday our mini-storage is now completely empty but our hearts are really full. (And I think we made a whole lot of family and friends very happy as well!)

 

I didn't get his name....but I did get his message!

 

Great opportunities to help others seldom come,

but small ones surround us every day.   

                                                                  ~ Sally Koch