Mourning Sparrow




	WRITE 2 THE HEART Stories that are aimed "Write 2 the Heart" August 26, 2004 Cheryl Speir, Editor, moderator @ write2theheart.com Reminder If you are the author of a family friendly book or are included in an anthology that is available on Amazon.com, please send me an email with your title, ISBN, and exactly how your name appears on the cover. Write 2 the Heart will be opening a bookstore powered by Amazon.com on our website. We will be offering family friendly books written by subscribers of Write 2 the Heart as well as books to improve writing and to help in publishing. To our subscribers who have family members or friends who are serving in our armed forces, please send their names to be included in our prayer list and contact me about sending in a picture. I hope to publish these pictures on a new page to be added to Write 2 the Heart’s website. This page will be dedicated to our troops. No matter how hard we try, things don’t always turn out the way we would like. Afterwards we always wonder what we could have done differently. Patricia and her grandsons have just experienced such a situation. Mourning Sparrow By Patricia Spork My grandsons and I are in mourning. We mourn the loss of a tiny sparrow that my oldest grandson, Anthony, named "Birdy." Although Birdy had not been in our life long, his or her last breath affected us deeply. God's winged wonder now lies in a shallow grave near a red oak tree. Two twigs - one crossed horizontal on top of the vertical other - decorate this bird's final resting place. The bare spot will eventually grow grass again and be mowed as any other section in our yard. But for now, this bald, circular area of Texas sand is sacred ground. My youngest grandson, Angel, saw Birdy hopping in the yard, while two other sparrows flew around it. Our Jack Russell terrier, QP, was in heated pursuit of the flying duo and not taking much notice of the grounded bird, thankfully. So Angel rescued Birdy from being a dog treat. We figure Birdy had attempted flying from the nest, but not having strong enough wings yet, failed a first flight lesson. Birdy was hot, heated from over-exertion, and panting for cooling breaths. I dipped a finger in a water-filled ashtray. Birdy sucked several droplets from the tip of an index finger. While I tried to calm and cool the frightened, dehydrated bird, Anthony cleaned out an unused parakeet cage previously stored in a shed. He layered the bottom with inkjet paper and filled two plastic containers - one with water, and the other with wild bird seed. I placed Birdy in the cage, on a wooden perch bar. Birdy perched fine, but still panted. I worried Birdy might be sickly. Black, brown, and rust-colored feathers adorned the 3-4" long bird. Its breast was slate gray with black flecks; its throat and underbelly, white; and its crown, brown with black streaks. Off- white rings circled the eyes, and a black streak, like overdone eyeliner, extended from the outer edge of each eye. Some people might consider the bird's coloring dull, but Birdy was resplendent in its Lincoln sparrow finery. At least I believe Birdy to be a Lincoln sparrow. I first thought Birdy, from its small size, was some type of chickadee, but through online and print book research, narrowed the species and breed to Lincoln sparrow. Being no expert, I could have mistaken the identity, as Song, Vesper, and Savannah sparrows look similar to Lincoln sparrows, although one or two don't have the eye rings. Birdy quit panting within an hour. We took Birdy from the cage and let the sparrow hop on linoleum floor a while. I took photographs of Birdy on the couch and on my finger. Birdy chirped during these times. The boys and I discussed what to do with Birdy. They located a nest earlier, and we thought of placing Birdy in the nest. But the nest was not near where Birdy was found. We also knew Birdy would probably jump out of the nest and be at risk from dogs or fire ants. So we decided to keep Birdy caged until the sparrow was strong enough to fly on its own. Our plan was to take the sparrow outdoors each day, let it hop around, feed from the ground, and hopefully, one day soon, it would fly away. We'd supply wild birdseed and small insects in the cage until Birdy's departure. That night, fluffed out Birdy spent a quiet night in the cage. The next morning, Birdy was active, flying and bouncing from cage side to cage side. Birdy wanted out, but I didn't take the sparrow outdoors since the boys were still asleep. Thinking Birdy might be hungry, I took seed from the untouched container and spread on the bottom of the cage. Birdy, seemingly content with this gesture, foraged around for the smallest of seeds. Within an hour, Birdy was huddled in a bottom corner of the cage, the sparrow's once wide-open eyes now meager slits. I wondered if Birdy had been injured when so active in the cage, or whether the young sparrow had a problem digesting seed. Birdy wouldn't move, even when touched. By late afternoon, Birdy was still in the same position in the same corner. I tried picking Birdy up and the sparrow squawked and flew from my hand into the opposite end of the cage. When Birdy fell, she landed on her side, legs drawn up. She was gasping for breaths - agonal bird gasps. Birdy was dying before my eyes, and my youngest grandson's eyes. I picked Birdy up again, cupping the sparrow in my hand. With gentle thumb, I massaged its little chest, now no longer heaving, but still, unmoving, with no sign of life. I breathed into the sparrow's slightly parted beak and massaged its chest vigorously-my form of bird CPR. But life- saving attempts failed and Birdy stayed dead. The funeral service was a short one. Wrapped in floral paper towels, Birdy was deposited lovingly in the ground. I thanked God for Birdy's short time with us and apologized for any errors on our part. One grandson spoke of "Seeing you on the other side," while the other was silent, tears in his eyes. Mourning a sparrow's loss is not so different from mourning a loved one's loss: the heart aches, guilt surfaces, unanswered questions remain unanswered, and all the while, we are thankful for having been a part of another's life, even a bird's short life. God bless all creatures. Patricia Spork pspork @ eastex.net Patricia Spork is a freelance writer and photographer residing in northeast Texas. Her poetry, articles, short stories, and photography have appeared online or in print. She recently released the nonfiction compilation LOSS COMFORT AND HEALING FROM ANIMAL SIGHTINGS: True Experiences of Animal Blessings (ISBN 0-9712939-8-8) available at http://www.booklocker.com/books/1515.html, and other online bookstores. You are encouraged to write to the authors to let them know what you think of their story. Have a comment on today's story? Send it to: moderator @ write2theheart.com When the first of my four sons left home for college and training for the armed forces, I proudly pressed a calling card into his hand to encourage him to call home. Unfortunately, when my telephone bill came in, I found he had called every acquaintance he knew… but not me! I finally wised up and got an 800 number from PowerNet Global through Cognigen. They also offer long distance and many other telecommunication products. You can make a free comparison of your currant long distance rates at http://ld.net/?cbspeir. Letters From Our Readers A special thank you to Annettee Budzban for her story, "How Does Your Attitude Smell," great story! I enjoyed it and agree with Annettee, so perhaps we can begin a day in the shower, telling ourselves that the day is wonderful and beautiful and when we step out, we can take that feeling with us for the day! Annettee gives us some wonderful stories. We can all be grateful that she has been blessed with a gift and she willingly shares it with all. Thanks Annettee! Ellie Braun-Haley Thanks for bringing our troops to our attention each time we read the list. It causes me to pause and read the names and say another extra prayer for them. What a wonderful reminder to be pleasing to God – and that will make us pleasing to others! It's not so hard if we just remember to verify from time to time what attitudes we're carrying around with us! Sometimes they burst and spread without us even knowing it! It's nice when what spreads is pleasant! Thank you, Annettee! Hi Cheryl, I was moved by the "anointing" service given for Tim. Thanks for sharing that special service with us. I hope Kristen's wrist is healing well. Thank God her injuries were no worse. I, too, ride horses and know the dangers. Last year, a horse trampled me and a foot was broken. Took weeks to heal, but didn't stop me from riding again. Kudos’ to Kristen for her courage and perseverance. Thank you for offering to list Write2theHeart subscribers' books in your upcoming bookstore. Please consider LOSS COMFORT & HEALING FROM ANIMAL SIGHTINGS: True Experiences of Animal Blessings (ISBN 0-9712939-8-8) by Patricia Spork for addition to your book list. Also consider Down the Cereal Aisle (ISBN 0-9676740-3-4) by Alice J. Wisler, which contains some of my writings. Both books are available at Amazon.com. Although I've been reading Write2theHeart issues each week, I haven't been sending in comments and wanted to do so. So, today being designated as mainly e-mail day, here I am with comments for several stories. Kathy Whirity's "Forever Young At Heart" is beautifully written and a great pleasure to read. Believe me, that statement says a lot, coming from a middle-aged person like me who hates reading orbituaries or anything mentioning them. "The Watch and the Angel (Time to Heal)" by Ellie Braun- Haley relates things that happen to me since the loss of my son to suicide. How well I know about complexing forgetfulness and tears for no apparent reason. I'm happy the frog watch began working again. I realize how much that "miracle" aided Ellie when it happened. I thank Ellie for sharing about her son, their friends, and the watch miracle. I'm also thankful that God heard Ellie's call and that she was able to share about "traffic angels" in her "Angels of the Road." I'm sure many of us can relate to "My friend Pamela" by Deb Davidson. I think it was really sweet of Deb to write about her friend Pam. I pray they meet one day. I, too, have a dear e-mail friend, who seems closer to me than anyone I know in person. I feel God brought us together. Thanks to Annettee Budzban for sharing how our attitude is like a fragrance in "How Does Your Attitude Smell?" The story certainly has me thinking about what fragrance I'm wearing today. Many blessings to all, Patricia Spork Military Prayer Reminder As you read over this list of names, please take a moment to pray for these young people and their families: Chris Speir Tim Speir Alan Todd Holland Graham William Julie Sagel Jessie Marshal Thompson Jason Eric Hernandez Kristin Danielson Ken Prieur Ryan Larry Miele Daniel Amy John Joanne Gary Boardwine Josh Hadassah Chanz Wackerly Robert Henderson David Habighurst Please continue to pray for our country, our leaders, and our troops at this time. If you have loved ones in the military, or who are being called to go overseas, send their names (first and last or first only) to be included in our prayer reminder. Cheryl’s Corner We all turned out for Tim’s send off. Daughter-in-law Junie was the only one to remember to bring a camera! She took a picture of all of the brothers, I can’t wait to see it. She snapped over 70 pictures and will put them on a disk to share with me. I’m so glad that Aaron gave her this digital camera for her birthday. She loves it and brings it everywhere. The local paper took a picture of Tim hugging his nephews’ goodbye. I hope they use it. Kristen is making a scrapbook and it would be a welcomed inclusion. As they pulled out, we stood by the busses blowing kisses and waving our flags. Ok, Kristen and I blew kisses, the guys just waved. But they did it with all of their heart. God bless, Cheryl Copyright © 2004, Write 2 the Heart Nothing may be reproduced or published without the written permission of the individual author or copyright owner. All rights belong to the authors.