Submitted by Cindy Walker Burton

Miracles come in all sizes and disguises. Some are ordinary while others are extraordinary. Some are visible but others cannot be seen by the human eye.

I’d like to recognize some miracles of Mother Nature that brightened and enlightened my life while residing in sunny Florida for nearly 30 years.

On October 4, 1995, Hurricane Opal ravaged Northwest Florida as a catastrophic Category 4 storm. The whopping winds were clocked between 130-156 mph. My lakeside neighborhood resembled a war zone: roofs ripped off and trees clogging the streets. Amidst the devastation, ornery Opal had flung a neon green candy wrapper on my porch. Or so I thought. Upon closer examination, the purported candy wrapper was indeed a hummingbird! Eyes closed, seemingly lifeless, the thimble-sized creature must have succumbed to Opal’s wrath. A hummingbird’s wings flap at 75 beats per second, and it felt like my heart was, too. I picked it up gingerly, cradling God’s tiny creation in my palm and stroking it with my fingertip. Tears welled up in my eyes. What were the chances of actually holding a hummingbird in my hand (much less spying one)? Suddenly, the dazed bird flinched and flew away in a flash. They say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. But a hummingbird in the hand? That’s a miracle.

Another miracle of nature appeared in 2002 at the sugar white beach in a whale-sized package – literally. A juvenile male humpback whale had beached itself and was actively in the process of dying. I just happened to arrive on the scene (after hearing news of the whale on my car radio) before the media and crowds descended. A valiant whale rescue team, a deputy sheriff, and a few beach goers were on hand. I was absolutely dumbfounded by the sheer size and volume of this ocean mammal. I gently ran my hand along its slick, rubber-like body and hauntingly, his eye followed me! In that moment, I witnessed why whales should be free and not incarcerated in concrete pens for public entertainment. The rescuers determined the stranded cetacean was extremely sick and suffering unjustly, so euthanasia was administered. I stood in the might whale’s line of sight and placed both hands on his skin as his eye eventually closed. I touched a whale; he touched my heart.

Another sea life encounter occurred while I was snorkeling in the warm Gulf waters. I plucked a softball-sized, butterscotch-colored shell from the sandy depths. I was startled when a tiny tentacle thrust its way out of the shell, and awestruck when a white baby octopus made its surprise appearance. It ejected from the shell and rapidly propelled off into the light blue waters. My marine miracle was out of sight, but forever in my mind.

Legendary rocker Jon Bon Jovi said, “Miracles happen every day. Change your perception of what a miracle is and you’ll see them all around you.” Open your eyes! Don’t let miracles pass you by.