Just Writing Through: Nerdy Birdy and the message of the Gospels

I forgot to write an Easter post. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, it is just that there had been so much going on, I didn’t spend a lot of time on social media.

After a beautiful Triduum, we celebrated Resurrection Sunday with family and friends. My sister- and brother-in-law open their home to my husband’s very large family every Easter. They are such amazing hosts – never flustered, always prepared and never turning anyone away.

We went to Easter Vigil Mass ~ it is truly such a blessing to celebrate the Risen Lord and watch as adult men and women proclaim their commitment to their faith before God and the congregation.

Then, we hosted Easter dinner for my family and some wonderful friends. As our {little} family has started to become not so little, it has been easier to extend invitations for others to join us ~ and these recent celebrations with both family and friends have been incredibly meaningful and such a blessing to us.

The Easter message is one of love. When I read the Gospels, I am amazed at how loving Jesus is – love comes before fear. Love comes before worry. Love comes before concern.

I’m a worrier – I have worked extra hard over the past few years in an attempt to override the worry with the love Jesus speaks of in the Gospel. Most importantly, I want my children to live with courageous love – to love no matter race, religion, size, shape, ability or personality. It has become cliché these days – a Facebook meme so common we almost gloss right over it – but every person we meet is fighting a battle we {likely} never will know about.

A few months ago, Nerdy Birdy author Aaron Reynolds came to Read Between the Lynes bookstore and we took our girls to listen to him read it. Unfortunately, the book sold out before we could purchase it, but we did place an order.

Our signed copy came in just before Easter. What a perfect time. The message is clear: life is about love and acceptance.

This adorable book, made all the more engaging when an animated Reynolds reads it, highlights a misfit bird who finally finds a flock of a similar mindset … er, feather. But when another bird who seems to be a little too different isn’t accepted by said flock, Nerdy Birdy gathers the crew and explains that there always is room for another bird in their flock – nerdy or not.

See, we all are unique. God has put His stamp on us. We come with special gifts and inimitable talents. If we push others away because of their distinctiveness, we miss out on the richness of God’s creation. I like to think of the wisdom of Reynolds’ Nerdy Birdy as speaking to me straight from the Gospel ~ love with abandon. Hold a hand, give a hug, offer a meal, lend an ear. Let someone into your flock and learn, listen and make a difference in someone’s life ... and then let them make a difference in yours.