Yesterday, we drove
over to our daughter’s house to celebrate our grandson’s 17th
birthday. When we arrived, Kristy told us that she had found a bird in her yard
with a broken wing. And with this, she proceeded to walk me to the perimeter of
her yard, and pointed at the unfortunate creature.
It was quite obviously
a “just out of the nest” little dove. And I surmised that it may have flown
into a tree on its first solo flight, as his right wing was broken. And since I
am animal lover of the first degree, I immediately bent over, and scooped the
poor thing up off the ground. Having done this, I suggested Kristy take the
bird into the house. However, she wasn’t keen on this idea since she has four
dogs, and a cat. As a result, I put the bird back on the ground, and we walked
inside to eat dinner, and have some birthday cake.
The festivities
over, we departed the premises, and walking back into the yard I could not help
myself. I retraced my steps towards the tiny bird, picked him up, and opened
the passenger door of our 2015 Nissan Altima.
Having arrived home,
Jean and I dismounted the car, went into the house, and debated what to do with
the feathery critter. My wife suggested we put him in a dog cage on the back
porch. And for lack of a better idea, this is what I did; laying a towel on the
floor of the metal cage prior to laying the unfortunate creature in it.
I debated how best
to help the tiny fowl, and I finally decided the best I could do was to put a
shallow saucer of water, and a few scraps of bread near him on the floor of the
cage. But as the hours rolled by, there was no sign that he was remotely
interested in the fare, though once I noticed the feathery creature lying in
the water, as if he was attempting to cool down a bit.
Pt. 2
Throughout the day
and into the evening hours, I checked on the bird, and noticed that he was
lying on one side of the cage, that his right broken wing was poking through
the thin steel bars, and that he rarely moved.
The next morning
the little dove’s condition had deteriorated. I had previously dropped some
bread crumbs in the corner of the cage, and now I added a few blueberries, and
even a small bug I found under a dead limb. To no avail. The pitiful creature
was dying.
I opened the door
of the cage, lifted the little bird in my hands, stroked his tiny head, told
him it was okay to go, and said I would see him on the other side. (And I have
no doubt that I will).
Having laid the
precious thing on the floor of the cage, I opened the sliding door which
separates my back porch from my office, and looking back I noticed my charge
was preening a couple of stray feathers on its bad wing; as if to be
presentable for that place to which he would shortly go.
Now, I sat down in
my recliner, and watched a little news, as unwelcome as it always seems to be
these days. And then, suddenly, I knew. I just knew. Don’t ask me how I knew,
but I had the strangest inclination that the little dove was no longer with us.
Getting up from my
chair, I opened the glass door, unlatched the cage, retrieved the bird, and my
suspicions were realized. The tiny critter “had left the building.” His eyes
were still partially open, though his body was beginning to display the
symptoms of rigor mortis.
And it was then I
noticed that the precious creature had folded his wings about himself, as now
they covered his underside, and his tiny feet were hidden beneath the feathery
adornment.
All that was left
to do was to provide the precious thing a final resting place. Walking to the
cabinet, I took a baggie out of the box, placed the little bird in it, sealed
it, retrieved a shovel, walked into my back yard, dug a shallow hole, laid the tiny
creature in it, and proceeded to cover it over.
And it was then that I thought about
the scripture which assures us of the Almighty’s amazing love and care for “the
least of these.”
“Are not two sparrows sold for a
penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father knowing all about it.” (Matthew
10:29)
And it occurred to
me that Jesus might well have had this very bird in mind when He uttered those
words to His disciples.
It is comforting in
these difficult times in which we live to remember the words our Savior spoke,
just after He reminisced about His love for the smallest of God’s creatures.
“Don’t be afraid.
You are more valuable to me than a multitude of sparrows.” (Matthew 10:31)
by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright pending
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