"Suddenly" - Billy Ocean, 1989

Our bird feeders have been very popular places lately, and John and I really enjoy watching the birds. I was watching the feeder just outside our kitchen window this afternoon, especially enjoying the baby sparrows and baby great tits being fed and watched over by their doting parents.

Not long after I snapped this photo, something awful happened. A sparrowhawk swooped into the hedge, grabbed one of the baby sparrows, and flew off with it. Before leaving the garden, the hawk sat on top of the roof of our bird table with the struggling sparrow in his/her talons. It glared at me, and then flew off with the helpless little bird.

I was stunned. OK. I know this happens, but I'd never actually seen it myself. And as you might imagine, there have been no birds in our back garden since...not even when I refilled seed feeders early this evening.

Now, I know the birds will return. But it has still been very unsettling.

I guess it's just like our lives. We're rocking along, having fun, thinking everything is all right. And suddenly, something awful happens.

It's nature, reminding us that we're not in charge. No matter how much we think we're in control of our lives, we aren't.

Janet