I usually wake up early in the morning and pray. One morning, as I sat down to pray, I heard a chorus of many birds singing the most captivating tune. Each bird had a distinctly different sound, leading me to believe that they were of different species. The different voices provided a beautiful, harmonious sound. It was quite soothing and left me feeling rejuvenated and ready to begin my day.

Talking about bird singing, I remembered my favorite song written and performed by Yanni. The song is called Nightingale, and during a performance at Forbidden City, China, he explained to the audience that he drew inspiration for the song from a bird that sung by his window every sunset during a stay in Venice, Italy.

The bird, so joyously and peacefully sang her song for him every night, leaving him completely mesmerized.  During his performance he said that birds have a tremendous vocabulary, succinct rhythms and engaging melodies. His only wish was that we were able to communicate or speak each other’s language.

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Luckily, many years later, he came across the Chinese Flute. He found this high-pitched instrument to be a perfect tool to use to express the song that the bird sang for him. Then the beautiful Nightingale was born.

I often visualize this beautiful scene of the nightingale singing whenever I listened to Yanni’s song. Never would I expect a similar occurrence happening to me. In my case, it wasn’t just one bird, there were many. They were all singing in unison, and it was perfect. Once they showed up for their first performance they kept reappearing every time I prayed, no matter what time I prayed and no matter where I prayed.  Whether it was 1:00, 2:00 or 4:00 in the morning, at home in California or during a visit to Tokyo, they were always there. I was pleasantly surprised by their presence and comforted by their company. Yet. I wondered, what were they singing?

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I began to think more deeply about this question early one morning during prayer: What were they singing? Were they trying to convey a particular message? Then all of a sudden, “The Voice” said, “I love you.” I was overjoyed and overwhelmed. This message touched me so deeply that my eyes began to flood with tears. From that day forward, each time I heard the birds singing their song, I was reminded of His love. His message has provided me with tremendous strength during times of sorrow and loneliness. When I feel sad or discouraged, all I have to do is remember to listen to the birds and I am able to move on fearlessly in life.

“I love you,” these three little words keep ringing my ears every time I hear the bird’s singing. It fills my body with His love. The energy of love flows through me, and it is so abundant that I can’t keep it all inside. I have to share it with the world: I love you all, too.