The Hummingbird

Recently I painted a hummingbird. I have been meaning to do this for a while, but got distracted every single time. I started noticing them everywhere as symbols for businesses, in shops, I even saw a piece of clothing today with lots of hummingbirds on them. Anyway,  it was only until I was looking through a gardening magazine that I saw a picture of a hummingbird again. This time I thought right I am going to paint this no matter what, so I did.

It took me a couple of days to complete it. We decided to have a birthday party for my grand-daughter's second birthday, and also decided to include my husband, his father and my sister-in-law who were also sharing their birthdays in the same month.

I was wondering what to give my father-in -law as a birthday gift, I just couldn't figure it out. It was only when I was having breakfast one day and it came to me to give the hummingbird to my father-in-law. It felt like the right thing to do.

Anyway, the party came and I gave him the painting. He loved it so much and was so grateful. I did not think anything of it until I posted a picture of the painting on facebook and my sister-in-law posted a comment saying what inspired you to paint this. It made me think and I decided to look deeper into it because I believe when something reoccurs or you see something over and over again, there is a message in it or a lesson to be learned. Contemplating on these is essential to move forward and reach our full potential. I do believe that something guides us all the time, but seldom do we take time out to stop and reflect on what we need to discover.

I realised that hummingbirds have a significant spiritual meaning. The fluttering of the wings of this bird are in the shape of an infinity symbol, meaning eternity and continuity. They are always tirelessly seeking nectar, you could say seeking out the good things in life, even fulfilling their dreams by travelling great distances, which also shows resilience. They are a reminder for us to take a close look at how we are using our energies and resources. Are we wasting them on negative things or using them on a more positive note in harmonising and balancing our lives. It is also connected to finding your joy and peace of mind.

After looking at this meaning I recognised that the hummingbird has come into both our lives at the right time. We could both, my father-in-law and myself, focus our energies on finding resilience and playfulness within ourselves . He has just retired, which obviously means he needs to be looking at  these. I would like to fulfil my artistic dreams which I have only now started focusing on. Therefore the hummingbird sums up our needs perfectly.

Finally as an artist who paints from the heart, I have tried doing themed paintings, but I cannot do the same thing over and over again in different ways, not my style. I paint what my heart desires and what my spirit yearns for. For me it is something that I must recognize and ponder over and move on.

Having said all this here is my painting. If you have been on my facebook page, you will be familiar with it, in this case it was a one off painting, a gift of wisdom from the heart for a loved one.

 Love and Peace

Samira

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