From the Vicar: What Chickens Know

From the Vicar: What Chickens Know

From the Vicar: What Chickens Know

# From The... - Letters to the Congregation

From the Vicar: What Chickens Know

Dear Ones of St. Columba's,

As many of you know, this past June our family got chickens. They arrived in the mail, in a cardboard box with some bedding and a tiny heat source in it, and were just 3 days old when we opened the box and popped them into the space we prepared for them in our spare room. For the past 16 weeks these six birds have grown from tiny fragile fluffs into fully feathered pullets (which means female chicken less than one year old), a small tribe of dinosaur footed friends who it is hard to imagine life without.

Having chickens has changed my daily routine. Chickens orient themselves to the sun - when the sun is up they are ready to go and when the sun sets they put themselves to bed. So now my mornings often begin with wandering out to the chicken coop to let the ladies out a little after sunrise. I have come to cherish this quiet morning time when I freshen up their food and water, open their door and then often sit and watch them just being chickens for a bit. They are really good at it. 

It's a little odd maybe, but raising chickens has been a touchstone for me all throughout these chaotic months of pandemic and upheaval. Every morning they emerge from their coop and do their chicken things. They scratch and peck and one of them chases the dog around. They look for worms and wait until no one is looking to sneak into the garden. They want to be close to their humans, but they don't want anyone to pick them up. And when the sun begins to set they make their way back to their coop, up the steps, and in to their little house to sleep all night and begin again tomorrow. They do this no matter what has happened in the world that day - no matter what the virus numbers are, or how much smoke is in the air, or what headline is blaring across all social media channels that day. 

This week we mark the saint day of St. Francis, who is the patron saint of many things, among them animals. Francis chose to live in poverty and viewed the creatures of the world as his peers. There are stories of him talking to birds and communing with wolves, calling them sister and brother. This approach to the natural world as a sibling and even a teacher in our lives is one that is familiar to Indigenous spiritual teachers as well, and reminds us that stewardship of the earth is perhaps better interpreted as relationship with and care for the created world, as opposed to domination of it. 

We like to mark St. Francis day by celebrating our pets - certainly a domestication of sorts of the wild ways of this particular saint. However, for many of us the relationship we have with our animals is one of the main connections we have with the natural world. And anyone who has loved a dog, cat, horse, guinea pig, lizard, fish, chicken or any one of God's creatures well, has also learned about love from them. 

My chickens remind me that no matter what has happened this day, the sun will set and tomorrow it will rise again. There will be bugs to eat in the garden, and dirt to scratch and play in. This comforts me, and gives me hope. I hope that you are also able to find something in the beautiful world that our God has made to teach, delight, and comfort you this week, and in the weeks to come.

with care and gratitude,

Alissa

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