Mr. Spooner

Mr. Spooner

You say… I am perfect in beauty.

Ezekiel 27:3

During my teenage years, my mother would always say, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  I had a hard time wrapping my head around that, for in my mind, there was a set of beauty standards that all of us were judged by.  It was difficult for me to find beauty in anything that did not meet the values prescribed by society.

The idea of beauty did not enter my head when I first made the acquaintance of this fine fellow.  Orange is not my idea of the perfect eye color, particularly when set in a grayish face.  His long, scrawny neck was covered in pure white feathers, but his bill?  Oh my.  It was far too long for his little head and looked as though someone had stepped on it.   

As my eye traveled further down, I was startled to see that my orange-eyed friend’s body was covered in the softest, most delicate shade of baby pink feathers.  This Roseate Spoonbill was having a wonderful time bathing in the pool of a waterfall, entirely unaware of my critical evaluation.  When he flew off after finishing his toilette, he was a wonder to behold.

When this young man has grown into adulthood, I’ll wager that most onlookers will not give a second glance to his scrawny neck and glowing orange eyes.  Instead, they will be awestruck by his gorgeous display of pink, rose and scarlet feathers as he takes to the skies.

And somewhere in the crowd, I’ll bet someone exclaims, “Isn’t he beautiful!”

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All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings,

God made their glowing colors and made their tiny wings.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 147