Hinkle was a wee little lad, who was so small it took him days to cross the flowered meadow. One day, while resting upon a leaf, a beautiful hummingbird hovered nearby. Little Hinkle noticed something very strange about this hummingbird. Around its neck was a golden collar with two bells hanging from it. Hinkle yelled out, "What is your name beautiful one with the bells?" When the hummingbird heard this, it drew nearer to him and said, "My name is Ruby and my bells make noise so the other creatures can hear me. I am so fast and so small, that no one ever notices me". Hinkle replied, "Well, I noticed you and you are the prettiest creature that I have ever seen." Ruby suddenly became still in mid-air and said, "May I help you get across this meadow today, my kind friend? I've noticed that it takes you quite some time to make this trek and I have been given a gift of speedy flight. You are a kind heart and your gift is seeing the beauty from within." Hinkle climbed onto to little Ruby's back and together they soared through the meadow. As they were flying over a glorious patch of pink flowers, Hinkle noticed a glowing light that was traveling beside them. He suddenly realized that all true gifts are from above and that the Giver is the most precious gift of ALL.

This original was created using watercolor on Arches hot press paper. It is 5x7 and is available here [link]