The loud thump from our living room brought an emotional dread to Sally. She rushed to the sound looking out the large picture window to see the mocking bird sitting on the chase lounge by the pool with its beak open and panting. This was not the first time a bird had flown into our living room picture window. Many had resulted in death of the errant bird, but this time after seeing the mocking bird still alive Sally felt a sense of hope that death had been cheated.

The mocking bird remained still as Sally reached down to gently grasp the bird in her gentle hands. The summer heat was already pushing triple digits on the pool deck as Sally held the panting and stunned bird in her hands. She returned to the coolness of our home with her new friend where she could possibly nurse it back to health from its stunning crash into the window.

While still holding the bird she dampened
a small dishtowel with water to wrap the bird in. She then went the a drawer to fetch an old eye dropper that she had previously used to feed two baby rabbits that she had nursed to adulthood after there mother had been taken by a coyote. She filled the eyedropper with water and carefully administered small droplets to the mocking bird. After a few minutes of care and love along with the renewing water, the mocking stopped panting. The bird looked at Sally with calmness as she gently stroked its head. It was as if the bird knew that it had noting to fear no fear because it was wrapped in the hands of love.

It appeared to Sally that her new friend the mocking bird had definitely benefitted from the coolness of our home and the droplets of refreshing water. It was now time to see if the bird was capable of returning to its God gifted freedom. She went out to the pool deck and gently opened her hands. A second passed before her new friend took flight. As she watched the bird take to the sky her heart jumped with joy. "Farewell, my friend! God be with you every way you go."