Hi Stroopie Friends,
Greetings from Lancaster, PA on this fall October day! It has been awhile that I have posted content in our Stroopie blog…and today I felt inspired to write a post! YEAH!!
Back in 2021, I posted about how we were encouraged by the hummingbird at Stroopies. If you have a minute go check this post out on our blog. (You won’t be disappointed…I promise!) The nuts and bolts summary from this post is that an African fable about a hummingbird encouraged us at Stroopies to do our part to make the world a kinder place, and to not lose faith that we are too small to make a difference. Since then if you were to ask me what my spirit bird is…I would tell you the hummingbird!
Recently, I was reminded about a time of blessing prayer that we had at our brick and mortar store, the Lancaster Sweet Shoppe, many years ago. We had gathered in the beautiful city courtyard in the back of the store with a group that had come to take a field trip to learn from our work. At the end of the special time together, the visiting group asked if they could speak blessing prayers over the works of our hands. Of course, we were happy to receive. During this time of prayer blessing, a beautiful hawk came and sat on the wall of the courtyard. I had never seen a hawk visit us in our city location before, and haven’t seen one since. I remember one of the women that was a part of the group (who still is a Stroopie friend who sells Stroopies for us at remote events) mentioned that she is not sure what it means that the hawk visited us during that time of blessing…but she thought it seemed like a good sign! :)
This past week, the story of the hawk coming to visit us during that time of blessing came back to mind. It made me wonder if there is any relationship in nature between the hawk and the hummingbird. What I found out was really interesting. There has been all kinds of fascinating research done about the relationship between the hawk and the hummingbird. It seems like hawks may actually protect hummingbirds from their predators. Hawks are not interested in preying on hummingbirds (just not enough meat)…but they are great protection to hummingbirds from their predators the blue jay. Researcher Greeney found that “hummingbirds build their nests under the hawks, in a cone-shaped space where jays never go, right under the hawks.”
It got me thinking that perhaps the hawk visited us those many years ago to remind us that God has our backs and we are protected under his wings. Sometimes being small leaves you feeling vulnerable and fragile…but in the case of the hummingbird and the hawk… the symbiotic relationship that has formed makes it a safe haven to live and thrive! Encouraging!!!
So, I write this with hope, that as we continue to go “further and deeper in” with our work at Stroopies, we are not alone! We have a Hawk looking out for us…and if you are a hummingbird like us, that is good news! Be encouraged, my friends!
With Hope,
Jennie, for the Stroopie Family
