And He's Off....

It didn't float. It fell. Hard.
We were sitting on the back porch, having our Sunday morning cup of coffee...when it happened. An object fell from somewhere above (we do have a window ledge above the patio, so it may have originated there) to the outside patio, below. Not at all sure what could have made such a spectacular entrance, at first I was too startled to react.  

Jackson, (the eleven year old dog who thinks he is still a puppy), was the first to recover...around the same time I realized that our uninvited visitor was a teeny tiny baby bird. A just-learning-how-to-spread-its-wings-and-fly, teeny tiny baby bird. Not that Jack would have eaten it or anything, but he does like to play and we've all watched him put his stuffed animals in his mouth and toss them around the kitchen like his life depends on it. It's really cute to watch...but they are stuffed after all, and this little creature wasn't.

Josie, (sweet sleepy Josie), lifted her head up and yawned, not yet realizing that we had a visitor. The ninety degree heat does that to a girl. She languishes on the tile, or any cool surface, to try to get out of the heat. She's only outside with us because she loves to be anywhere we are. Not that she approves. She actually prefers the air conditioning vents on the bathroom floor tile, but, oh well, these humans...what do they know.

Lloyd was reading the paper. Oblivious to the drama.

"Honey, get the dogs in the house." I rouse myself from my caffeine stupor, long enough to realize our uninvited little guest is only seconds away from Jackson's inquisitive snout.

"What's the matter?" My prince looks up from his morning paper.

"Hurry up....before they get wind of ...bird..." Pointing, I simultaneously grab Jack's collar and say the magic word to get him into the house. "Cookie!"

Both dogs jump to attention, and scurry through the back door before my knight in shining armor even has time to fold the crossword puzzle and set in on top of the sports section.

"What's going on?"

"A baby bird...fell...out of the sky...look...!

The little fluff of feathers was awkwardly trying to spread his uncooperative wings and fly far, far away from this madhouse...but couldn't quite complete the maneuver. Couldn't stand up.

"Lloyd...I think he broke something. Oh, no...who do we call?"

"Honey...I don't think we can do anything. I don't know."

Not wanting, nor willing, to give up...I did the only thing I knew how to do. I looked at my husband and said...

"Fix him."

Now Lloyd is a pretty game guy, always willing to go the extra mile, shirt off his back and all that, but fixing a baby bird...out of his realm...maybe.

"I know...we can make a little nest for him. I'll get a plastic bowl, and you fill it with nesting stuff, and we can put him up out of the dogs reach and feed him until he is strong enough to fly away. Please?" I looked at my husband and he (realizing there was no way out of this...for him or the bird) nodded twice.

He reached for the bowl, "What do you want me to fill it with?"

"I don't know. Grass...leaves..."

I filled one little cup with bird seed from the feeder and  another with water. I got to thinking about how we all need a little fixing sometimes. A kind word, a hug, a flower left on a doorstep, a body cast. How it's up to all of us to lend a hand, to reach out, to help mend a body...a spirit. A wing. We've all been there. That dark place. That place where all you need is a little light to help you find your way through.

"How does this look?" My very own master carpenter handed me a bowl that was nested perfectly. He has never built a house that looked so safe and sturdy. A mansion fit for our little fellow.

"How do we get him in here?" I looked at Lloyd expectantly.

"I don't know. I thought you could do it."

"Okay...I will. Do I need gloves so my smell doesn't freak him out?"

"Maybe."

I went in and got a pair of gloves and when I came back out, I said a little prayer that I didn't give him a heart attack or anything. Little birdie was right where we left him. Watched me coming at him...I think I might have been cooing. Okay...I know I was. Cooing. Reaching down...

That teeny tiny thing took one look at those white gloved hands coming towards him and his little wings sprang into action. He not only flew, he flew to the top of the highest tree in the woods behind our house.

Lloyd and I looked at each other.

"It's a miracle!"

Now, I don't know whether that little guy fell from the ledge or fell out of the sky. All I know is he came down like a ton of bricks. Like we all do. Sometimes. And sometimes all you need is someone to care enough to make a nest...a soft place to land. A word of encouragement. A smile. A hand up. Sometimes that's enough. Sometimes that's all there is.

We may not have all the answers, we may not always know how things will turn out, but we have everything we need to make a difference.

An whatever would I do without you?

Until Next Time,
Debbie