I share this experience with you because this little bird reminded me that we can still sing even when we are struggling. When we are struggling and in pain, we can still make a difference.
This is my first time posting about this. It has been a very special experience for me.
On October 6th, I got up from a very restless night. I had not slept well and had a lot on my mind and on my heart. I took Mason to school. I was pulling down my street when I noticed this little guy in the road. I pulled to the side of him thinking he would fly away as my car approached. As I went by, I noticed he did not move. I looked in my side view and he was still there. I pulled my car over and started walking towards him. As I walked towards him, I expected him to either fly or at least start struggling to get away. He did not move. I walked straight to him and picked him up. He never attempted to struggle away from me as you can tell by the pictures, I did not have to restrain him at all. I examined him and saw no sign of injury.
Yet I knew something was not right. I pulled him close to my heart and began to gently pet him. I decided I would take him to the CNC. They help a lot of wildlife. It would be a couple of hours before they opened. As I continued to hold him, there was an immediate bond. He would look me right in the eye and put his beak to my nose. I was finally able to take him to CNC. Unfortunately for this little guy, they do not take songbirds. Only birds of prey. However, they were kind enough to examine him. Upon examination, they were able to determine he had broken his clavicle. They told me just like humans, it is very painful for the birds.
The thought is he was hit by a car. They recommended a place to take him. It is located in Decatur, which was going to take a little over an hour one way with traffic. I had a full day and did not know how I could do it. As I sat in the car trying to decide what I was going to do, he sang. I stop my thought process and looked down at him. He was looking at me from the little box I had him in. As I continued to look at him he let out a couple of more little notes. Tears began to fill my eyes. Here this tiny little creature was, in pain with a broken clavicle, and yet, he still sang. I sat there for a few minutes just looking at him. I reached over and gave him a gentle stroke on his head and said, thank you, little guy.
I called Seth and asked him to reschedule all of my meetings for the day. I called the songbird place and a wonderful human by the name of Nancy told me to bring him in. I took off to Decatur. When we arrived, Nancy examined him and confirmed he had a broken clavicle but that his air sacs were full as well and needed to be released. She explained to me the process and told me he had a three to four-week recovery ahead. She let me know that some make it and some do not because of the uncertainty of what he may have going on internally due to being hit. She also informed me that if he did make it, then at the end of his recovery he would need to be released where I found him. Cardinals generally have a family.
He has had a rough road. There were a couple of times she wasn’t sure he was going to make it, as he stopped eating a few times. He pushed through. I am able to pick him up on Monday to release him back into nature. I share this experience with you because this little bird reminded me that we can still sing even when we are struggling. When we are struggling and in pain, we can still make a difference. He reminded me that every living thing is significant, no matter what. If it has life, it deserves love. It is a birthright!
He reminded me to stop, take it slow, and always, ALWAYS, let love lead. On a day when I was struggling with some pretty heavy things, he reminded me to…sing!!