At a clergy retreat last week, storyteller Sheila Arnold recounted how a woman she knows desperately wanted to attract beautiful songbirds to her front porch. She had seen her neighbor’s array of bird feeders and even a bird bath and wanted to recreate the same setup. So, paying close attention to the porch next door, she did her best to emulate it. However, days passed and not a single bird visited. She double checked that she had put out the right kind of bird feed and that the height of the feeders was correct. Yep. It was the right kind and the right setup, all guaranteed to bring droves of birds to her front steps, yet none had come. Not one. Days turned into weeks. She was desperate and confused as she looked over at her neighbor’s porch day after day and saw so many birds flying in and out. “What am I doing wrong?” she asked herself.
Finally, her neighbor noticed her outside one day and asked how her porch makeover was going. “Not so well. No birds seem interested in my porch.”
“Oh? Let me take a look,” the neighbor said as she walked over. After a brief inspection, she kindly told her, “You have to remove your wind chimes. The birds are startled by the extra noise on the porch.”
The lady was stunned. Something as simple and seemingly harmless as wind chimes had kept the birds from coming to her home all these weeks. Sure enough, as soon as she removed them, the birds came.
I think this story helps remind me that there are plenty of noises in our lives, but some are making our spaces unsafe for others. If you want “the song birds” to feel comfortable on your front porch (whoever or whatever that might be for you), you may have to remove some of the “wind chimes” (whoever or whatever that might be for you). We want to make our spaces, our dorm rooms, our classrooms, our clubs, our meetings as inclusive as possible. Let’s try to find what “wind chimes” (though possibly well meaning or pretty sounding) might be hurdles for others feeling truly welcome.
I know most of us on campus, including Church of the Covenant on Sunday mornings, work tirelessly to make our events inclusive. However, we are not perfect and need feedback when spaces aren’t as inclusive as they should be. So, please speak up and let us know how we might improve. We want everyone to feel welcome and know they are fully appreciated. The “song birds” are more important than the “wind chimes.” Let’s be safe for one another!
Love and light, Pastor Dan