Well…it is Friday, April 6th, and a full moon.  It has been a very interesting day to say the least.  It began with my dog Pele injuring his right leg as he ran outside this morning and then shortly after getting him back in the house and settled, two finches crashed into our front window.  I looked out the window and saw one laying in a shrub.  I went out to check on it almost certain it was dead…but it appeared to be breathing.  I saw another on the ground looking a bit mangled, also breathing faintly.  For a moment I paused, frozen with sadness and a deep feeling of unknowing…what can I do?…how can I help…can I help?…or is death inevitable for them.  My mind raced with questions…and at the end of every thought was “Lori…these are birds, finches, your yard is full of them, don’t worry about them, let them do their thing…if they die, they die.”  But that phrase filled me with even more sadness and I couldn’t bare the thought of walking away.

So I reached down to the one laying on the ground.  I scooped her up in my hands and we sat there for a moment.  Almost instantly I knew I needed to pull the other one out of the bush, so I did.  I sat with two very dazed finches in my hands and didn’t really know what to do next.  So I prayed…I prayed and imagined I were St. Francis. I imagined I was talking to the birds and in that moment I knew the love in my hands had the ability to heal these birds.

They remained nestled into my hands and then eventually something happened, they became more alert, and then they looked at me wondering how they arrived in my hands, yet knowing it was a safe space.  I was stunned, stunned that I was able to pick them up and stunned that they were becoming lively.

My husband came out with the camera…all three of us posed for some pictures.  Then one flew away.  The other, still a bit dazed sat in my hand. 

This little lady hung out with me a bit longer.  We had a little chat (ok, maybe the chat was in my imagination, but none the less it was quite meaningful to me).  She allowed me to stroke her feathers, to talk with her and to just look at each other with complete awe.  This was the first time I have ever held a wild bird in my hands, and it was absolutely amazing!  I’m so happy Chris was able to snap some pictures!