As distant lightning sliced the sky one pre-dawn morning, my friend Jan heard sparrows singing. When sheets of rain blew across the yard, she could still detect the birds’ melody until the rumble of thunder crept closer and muffled their notes. Inspired by her observations and knowledge that song sparrows sometimes sing in a rainstorm, Jan designed and created the beautiful coaster pictured below and painted an entire set. She explained, “I painted these sparrows as early morning silhouettes because of the birds I heard that rainy day. They reminded me of how the four of us encourage each…