Outside my window, on the neighbor's shrub, sat a Mockingbird singing his heart out! As he sang I picked out about 12 to 15 songs he had copied from other birds. Whether his parents taught him these songs or he learned them himself has always been a question in my mind.

There are other fascinating birds that also display a wide variety of songs. The Brown Thrasher mimics many birds as do Grackles. I knew a man that kept a grackle in a cage at his store and the bird greeted the customers all day long with "Hello, How are You?". He also knew some words he shouldn't have learned which frequently embarrassed the owner!

We all know that many types of Parrots and birds of that family can sing whole songs and whistle beautifully. Why God gave many birds the ability to be able to sound like other birds or like us has always has been a mystery to me. These birds are like little tape recorders, playing back the correct sound at the right time. Some scientists have found that some Parrots actually have a simple form of reasoning. They can identify colors, objects, and names and do it repeatedly without a mistake.

Won't it be great to have many birds in heaven that will call to us as they fly from tree to tree? I think my friend Jesus is having a lot of fun preparing my new home for me in Heaven. What do you think?

Burney Tompkins

    - Uncle Burney