Feed the Birds OR For the Birds?

In the movie "Mary Poppins" Jane and Michael have a desire to feed the birds. Their desire is fueled with a song by Mary Poppins who tells of a bird women in the town square feeding the birds and selling bags of popped corn for "tuppence a bag". Michael's desire to use his two pence to feed the birds creates a stir within London's banking establishment. So, why do we feed the birds? Why are we attracted to such a simple thing like this? Allow me to share some of my "bird brain" thoughts on the subject.
When I was growing up there were Sundays we would go to one of the parks in Springfield, Illinois and feed the ducks. Our feed was usually a bag of dry, moldy bread we might have in the house. Great fun then and with our kids while they were growing up. Simple, cheap entertainment. Bird seed was too expensive.

Hummingbirds are fascinating to watch. They are so small, move their wings so fast, yet can hover to take nectar from a flower or a liquid feeder. Our Pastors wife, Nell Anderson from Lebanon, MO, would hang a feeder outside her cabin's kitchen window in Colorado. It made the birds easier to see. My Mom did the same thing at her home on Planeview Drive in Lebanon.
GM and GP Brown had a bird feeder that hung from a tree outside of their kitchen window on Lincoln Street in Jefferson City. Mrs. Brown always had a camera handy at the table waiting for that perfect moment to take a picture. Today GP Brown has several feeders outside the back deck at his home on Nelson Drive.

So, why do we feed the birds? They fascinate us with their movement, their colors, cheap entertainment. Our bird feeder hangs on the back porch outside of our kitchen window. It's always fascinating to watch them when working at the kitchen sink. We have a small book on the counter to look up any new birds that we see. Most of our birdfeed visitors are cardinals, bluejays, sparrows, some woodpeckers, juncos, finches, grackles, etc. One unusual bird visitor was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. It was only around for a few weeks during its migration from Central/South America.

Once when I was sitting on our back deck enjoying a cup of coffee and newspaper I could hear the crack of sunflower seeds as a Cardinal was visiting the feeder. Obviously I remained very still. So, why do we feed the birds?
Maybe we feed the birds because it's something so simple. It reminds us how birds, as free and unencumbered as they are, survive. "Consider the ravens: they do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!" (Luke 12:24) Is that why we feed the birds, because it reminds us of Gods love?
When I was growing up, my Mom (Grandma Rita) would tell me, feed the birds in winter and they'll come back to sing for you in the spring. -30-