Bye Bye Birdie

Yesterday the kids and I were on our last decade of the rosary praying for Grandpa when a loud boom hit the window just behind where we were sitting. I turned to see feathers flying, "dear God, no!" I thought. But yes, a bird smashed into the window and was lying on the deck trying to get up. I panicked, I'm totally new at this country living thing.

While I called around to get advice - do I flip it over to get up? Do I leave it?? - the bird died. Oh no. We couldn't help it anymore. Both the big kids stood at the door and stared at the poor thing, tears streaming down. I don't know what was more painful, their faces and broken hearts or watching an innocent creature die.

We agreed to wait for daddy to come home to give the birdie a proper funeral. Daddy dug a hole under St. Francis and my daughter read:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life

Later in the day as we were driving out our long road we stopped for a deer on the road. "Mom," said the most sensitive one, "please slow down so there is no more death this week". May the sun come back and soften our hearts again...