Looking For The Bluebird of Happiness

Written by: Gordon Clark, H4H Horticultural Consultant

The Bluebird of Happiness
by Edward Heyman

The beggar man and the mighty king are only diff’rent in name,
For they are treated just the same by fate.
Today a smile and tomorrow a tear,
We’re never sure what’s in store,
So learn your lesson before it is too late, so

Be like I, hold your head up high,
Till you find a bluebird of happiness.
You will find greater peace of mind
Knowing there’s a bluebird of happiness.
And when he sings to you,
Though you’re deep in blue,
You will see a ray of light creep through,
And so remember this, life is no abyss,
Somewhere there’s a bluebird of happiness.

Trying to keep busy during these scary times, I made 4 Bluebird houses out of scrap wood. I put one up on the farm about a week ago. A few days ago as I was digging post holes, a splash of blue flew by. What a joy! A male bluebird was checking out the lodging situation for his partner and soon to be mother of their offspring. I hope they like what I’ve constructed and nest there. I promise to try to keep the sparrows away if they will keep me soothed with their songs during spring time planting. And of course they have an open invitation to have as many cucumber beetles as they could gather to feed themselves and their fledglings. We seem to have never ending supply.

 Despite the abyss we see in Haiti as they are beginning to confront the virus, I was reminded that there are bluebirds of happiness there, too.

As you know from seeing the posts on this blog, website and Facebook page, we extoll the virtues of Moringa. The ‘miracle tree’ has many health benefits and scientific research adds more to the list all the time. Besides supplying protein, antioxiodants, and lots of vitamins, it also is anti fungal and anti bacterial. The PHF team planted over 300 moringa trees and they are now in full leaf and ready for harvest to be made into powder. I recommended that our team and their families take moringa in their tea daily to maintain their health.

My bluebird of hope and happiness is a young man, Ronaldo, who lives at HeloHaiti Orphanage near Les Cayes in SW Haiti. He has a gift for growing all manner of crops and like me is wild about moringa and has planted moringa trees at the orphanage. Ronaldo has ground the leaves into powder so that the kids and staff at the orphanage stay healthy. Drink up kids! Thank you Ronaldo!