Good Afternoon TSJ Peeps,
You never know what a day will bring! When this day began I was pondering how little control we actually have in life and how good that is in reality. That is why we need a Shepherd in our pastures . Something about having limited control brings a need for trust, discovering deeper meaning, faith, adaptability, disappointment, and joy. And, yes, much, much more.
WOUNDED
You ready? Today’s story is as fresh a story I have ever told you. In fact, that is why it is already afternoon. I have not yet digested its full meaning and it may take awhile for that to happen. But I will share what happened and the wide range of emotions the last two hours have brought me.
It all started just as I was ready to write today’s blog. I had spent some quiet time and was looking forward to sharing some thoughts with you when I heard a very loud thud against the house. A familiar sound here when birds are in flight and run into the house at full speed. This one sounded particularly loud and I thought it may have been a very large bird.
I decided to look out the window. On the ground was a beautiful male red bellied woodpecker. It had hit the house and dropped two stories to the ground. I quickly put on my rubber boots to go check on it. It looked dead and honestly I was relieved. . . until I got closer. It was sprawled flat on its belly but it was breathing. Oh no.
My own wounded soul burst forth with tears. I cried out, “No, no please don’t suffer.” I bent over it and put my hand on its body. It was warm and very traumatized. All of my own sadness came out in wails (no one was around, thankfully). Mind you, I had even just had a quiet time that had left me feeling peaceful. So much for that.
I stayed with the bird. I could not leave it and I could not kill it of course. And I feared I could not save it as I had no knowledge of what to do. None. So I knelt by it and kept my hand on it to keep it warm. I thought the least I could do would be to stay beside it until it breathed its last breath.
Getting weary from squatting so long I put my glove over it to keep it warm.
Finally, I cried my way into the house to look for a box. I found a large enough box to put it in to keep it warm and safe from predators. While I was wondering about moving it I saw it lift its head a bit. It was not going to die quickly, that is for sure. Now what?
CARED FOR
It would be too long a story for this WW blog to list all I did and the array of thoughts flooding my mind and feelings bursting my heart wide open. But I lifted the bird first to the box and brought the box up onto the deck so I could watch it while writing to you. Oh how I cooed over that bird and worried about its wounds. It was bleeding from its beak. I put a tiny bit of water over its beak to wash off the blood. I googled what to do for wounded birds. I called a professional. But before I did that, I had put a thin twig under its feet in the box. And I did not write WW.
I left the box in the sun and realized it might be better to gently lift it out of the box (with its feet clinging to the twig) and let it sit in the sun free from the walls of the box just in case it would fly away.
My long time friend, Fidella called to check in. I cried. She faithfully listened and reminded me about Nature doing what Nature does. We are both country girls.
But I was in deep emotionally. And we chatted. Mr. Woodpecker began to perk up. Yay!
Oh how I wanted him to live and fly well in his own habitat!
He would never, ever have felt the profound caring I had for him had he not been profoundly wounded. And of course he will never understand my care. Ever. And I am okay with that. But he was kept warm and sheltered until . . .
FREE TO FLY AGAIN
While loading the picture to the computer I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Mr. Woodpecker could jump a bit and grabbed onto the screen of our sliding glass door! He clung there for dear life. Should I put him into the tree? I waited. And waited.
Finally on went my rubber boots again and I decided to gently remove him from the screen. Would he let me? He clung with those sharp feet. I gently put my hands around his frightened body and undid his grasp and …he flew away!!!
Tears of gratitude and joy have come again.
I do think it may be a message from the One who can enter our domain – unseen, misunderstood, etc. who does so much to heal our wounds and prepare us for flight again.
Today, let’s together be awake to the Spirit of Love surrounding us. Mr. Woodpecker and I really did little struggling together given our different domains. He needed me and I needed him.
Solomon is smiling.
