Early Spring has arrived and the weather has been fantastic. Last Sunday, I got up early, put some seeds on the ground for the birds like I usually do, then went\u00a0to\u00a0church.<\/p>\n
When I returned,\u00a0\u00a0the small flock of birds that gathers everyday to eat the seeds got startled, like they usually do,\u00a0\u00a0when I walked down the driveway. They departed in a sudden whoosh up into the nearby bushes and trees.\u00a0But then, I\u00a0noticed two little birds laying on the ground at the start of the driveway where it meets the street.<\/p>\n
The two sparrows were dead. I was puzzled and went to the garage to get a\u00a0shovel. Picking the two up on the shovel blade, \u00a0I\u00a0examined\u00a0them more closely.\u00a0No blood or wounds, so a cat hadn’t caught\u00a0them, or the hawk from the nearby park. And they were a beautiful pair. A male and female.\u00a0The female was all mottled brown and the male was the same except for\u00a0a black and white cap. They looked plump and healthy except they didn’t move and their eyes were cloudy white. The little, fine-feathered-fragile machines had stopped.<\/p>\n
One of the most basic attributes that differentiate humans from animals is that we bury our dead. I took the two sparrows over to the front hedges and lay them down on the grass while I tuned over a spade full \u00a0of dirt. Then I placed them in the ground and covered them up.<\/p>\n
I felt bad. The beautiful pair of sparrows must have been killed by a passing car as they swooped in from across the street to get the seed I\u00a0 put out.\u00a0Were they mates? Rushing together to feed,\u00a0build a nest? There would not be\u00a0any Spring for them. Not anymore.<\/p>\n
Later in the week, bundled against a cold breeze on an early\u00a0Spring morning, I darted through a city park back to the office. In the center of the park was a big, ornate fountain. \u00a0The water had long been shut off for the Winter. As I hurried by, a beautiful pair of sparrows popped up on the rim of the fountain. A male and female. Their wings fluttered for an instant and the two flew off. Before I \u00a0could even think about hat I had just seen, another pair alighted and took flight just like the first.<\/p>\n
I felt better about everything in the wh0le wide world and hurried off to work in a great mood.<\/p>\n
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s\u00a0consent. copyright 2016 Magnus Incognito<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Early Spring has arrived and the weather has been fantastic. Last Sunday, I got up early, put some seeds on the ground for the birds like I usually do, then went\u00a0to\u00a0church. When I returned,\u00a0\u00a0the small flock of birds that gathers … Continue reading
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