A Sparrow's Gratitude

This summer I had an amazing experience. On June 19th, an hour before having to take my husband to the airport, there was a loud thump against the glass door of the sunroom. Steve saw this, a bird was flying with others, maybe being chased, and crashed against the glass. I asked "what was that?" and he pointed out to me what he saw. I opened the door and looked outside and there he was, a catatonic little sparrow upside down on our deck in the blistering heat!  

I immediately got a cloth dish towel and carefully wrapped him and brought him to shade in the soft grass.  Still dazed, the sparrow barely moved. I brought him a small dish of seed and bowl of water but he could not enjoy any of it. His legs where twisted underneath him and he could not stand. I straightened them out and smoothed his feathers. Praying quietly, giving him Reiki, holding my hands a distance away to not frighten him, I knew I was his caregiver. I was inspired to put a drop of water on my finger and gently touch his beak. He drank it! Now I had hope he had a chance to survive!

Unfortunately, we had to leave. I wanted to protect him from any hawk or predator that may attack him in this vulnerable state of being while I was gone. I quickly found and placed over him a plastic milk carton crate. There was plenty of room for him to escape through the bottom openings without trouble once he felt good enough to hop on his feet.  

It was time for me to leave and it took four hours to get back after going to the airport and then picking my mom up at the shore. The bird was on my mind the whole time and I dreaded what would happen to it. I reassured myself that I did everything I could and had to trust any outcome was out of my hands. 

I told my mom the whole story on the way back home and was eager to see if the sparrow was still there. When we got to the backyard, the cart was empty. I said another prayer for him. Then my mom said "look over there on the deck, a sparrow is chirping and looking right at you!" I went over to him. He stood on the deck where he had originally fallen. It was him! I recognized his feather pattern since I was so close. He was hopping up and down, singing loudly "thank you", the only way he knew how. He let me stand close to witness this for some time before flying away.  I never saw a bird do this before. I'm so happy my mom witnessed this miracle with me.

It was a moment of connection and joy. What a blessing. A gift from God that this little sparrow demonstrated his appreciation. It made me understand that all of God's creatures are aware, thinking, feeling, and know how to show their uniqueness, more than we ever give them credit for.