At home, my favorite place to pray and enjoy some solitude is in my rocking chair on my balcony. It’s a relatively secluded space, quiet enough, and ideal for periodically breaking away from the noise and distraction of activity.

As I sit in my rocking chair I am at eye level with the crowns of several trees around my yard. It’s a great place for watching birds. I am not a birdwatcher by hobby, but I cannot help but notice and enjoy watching the various species of birds interact with one another in the trees that surround our property. I have seen lots of blue jays, woodpeckers, doves, cardinals, and mockingbirds.

Recently, as I was in prayer and contemplation, I watched a group of blackbirds sitting on a power line. After a few moments, one of them flew down and landed in a nearby yard. The others followed. After another few seconds, one of them flew up into a tree. Again, the others followed. This went on for a few minutes. From one tree to the next…to the powerline…to another powerline…and so on. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the movement. But if one of the birds flew off, the others unquestionably followed suit. There was no true destination. The destination was the flock itself.