By Joseph J. Mazzella

It was just before dawn when my beeping alarm clock woke me up. I stumbled drowsily out of bed and slowly pulled my clothes on. I was already thinking about my morning cup of coffee when I opened my bedroom door. There waiting on me was my son’s big, white dog, fluffy.

I looked down at his smiling, furry face and knew my morning coffee would have to wait. Fluffy needed no caffeine to jump around happily while I put his leash on. Then as soon as I opened the door he dragged me outside.

The sky was mostly cloudy and the sun hadn’t come over the horizon.

The maple and oak trees were still budding and held no leaves as yet.

Still, my ears told me it was spring. The forest surrounding my home was alive with birdsong. I could hear at least a hundred birds singing at once. Dozens of species were making their own unique music and it all blended together perfectly in a chorus of joy. I breathed in the cool, morning air and smiled. I let the sweet songs of my feathered friends flow through my ears and down to my heart. Their music awakened me more than any coffee ever could. It felt so good to hear it. It felt so good to be alive in Gods world. I kept fluffy out for a while longer while I enjoyed this symphony. I knew not to take it for granted for by summer most of these birds would be parents too busy to sing.

Thankfully, we human beings have an advantage over our feathered friends. We are guided by choice rather than instinct. We can sing in the winter as well as the spring. We can sing each and every day of our lives. We can sing when we are busy. We can sing when we are stressed.

We can sing no matter what happens to us in this world. We can sing from our lips, our hearts, and our souls. We can sing songs of love and joy to each other and to God. Keep singing then. Let your sing live through your life. Let all of Earth and Heaven hear you sing.