I'm going to steal the conversation that I just posted on Facebook for the sake of this blog.
A conversation that occurred just moments ago...
Kyle (my hubberz) :: Audrey (me, the wifey)
[To set the scene: I'm laying across the bed, not the right direction.]
Kyle: Can you go away so I can go to bed?!
Audrey: What the heck! You always whine about going to bed when I'm NOT home because you want me to be here!
K: Maybe it's because I don't want you to be out. Who knows if you're yelling at the neighbors about how they treat their dog, or driving like a crazy person, or stopping to pick up a kitten that turns out to be a rapist!
A: ........your logic is flawed.
K: It's perfectly conceivable.
** Warning: This post is going to mention God. (So it's obvi gonna be a good one.) **
I was driving home this evening, flying down the hill near my parents, when I saw a small, round object on the road. Thinking it trash or even a dead animal, I made the attempt to straddle it with my car and carry on. Unlike trash or a dead animal, in the rear view mirror I saw the object flutter up and then back down into the center of the road. Of course I pulled over and flashed on my hazards.
Luckily, this road is not a busy one, so I was able to casually walk up to the object. The once-fluttering, now-stunned object was a young, if not baby, bird. Its mother was sitting in a near-by bush (I could hear her chirping frantically), unable to help. From the looks of the little guy, I assumed something was broken- maybe a wing? a leg? certainly not his neck or he wouldn't be chirping at an impressively consistent tempo.
I pulled my sleeve over my hand (just in case he felt inclined to bite), and scoop the baby up. He didn't bite, or fuss, or do anything really, except settle down into my hand. He hung out there for a while until I noticed he was using both of his legs. Recalling the knowledge I had long ago when I owned a parakeet (Noel- rest in peace), I pushed my finger against the chick's chest and he reluctantly stepped on. Success! His leg was not broken!
Balance only occurred for a moment before he fell off and tumbled the tiny distance from my finger to my lap. In the fall, he fluttered both wings- no broken bones there! He'd perked up over time, too. I concluded that the little guy was stunned, probably because of the cars constantly straddling his fragile little figure. I placed him on the side of the road, in the grass near his mother's chirps, and left him there for nature to reunite him with mom and take its course.
This is the second bird rescue I've made this summer- both critters just seemed stunned and unable to move from the road. I tend to think this is God helping me heal from a traumatic animal-road-incident that happened earlier this summer. Of course, 94% of the world asks, "Why do you bother stopping?"
If you know me.... AT ALL.... you know why I bother stopping. I stop because it's important. I stop because that animal, struggling in the middle or on the side or in the field, is alive and scared and in need of help. Not all animals want help- I know that I can't help all of them. This is where my faith comes in.
I can only stop and offer my hands or my warmth or a home for the night. God can lead that animal to me and help me make the rescue. God can reunite baby bird with mama bird after I've helped her out of harms way. God can also send the animal away from me, letting me know that nature is taking her course and the animal is not meant for me. I invest a lot of my faith in my passion for animals and their treatment and well being.
I'm not saying everyone should stop (and I also recognize that a lot of people DO stop). Not everyone knows what to do with abandoned or scared animals. I don't always know. I've also heard about dogs and cats being tied up on the side of the road to lure kindhearted people into stopping. As always, be aware of your surroundings and be safe.
The moral of today's story is if you can stop and it's a safe place and you know you might do some good, stop. If ever you need help with a rescue, CALL ME. People always talk about wanting to make a difference in the life of another. "Another" doesn't always mean human- in my case, "another" has fur, feathers, or scales.
A conversation that occurred just moments ago...
Kyle (my hubberz) :: Audrey (me, the wifey)
[To set the scene: I'm laying across the bed, not the right direction.]
Kyle: Can you go away so I can go to bed?!
Audrey: What the heck! You always whine about going to bed when I'm NOT home because you want me to be here!
K: Maybe it's because I don't want you to be out. Who knows if you're yelling at the neighbors about how they treat their dog, or driving like a crazy person, or stopping to pick up a kitten that turns out to be a rapist!
A: ........your logic is flawed.
K: It's perfectly conceivable.
** Warning: This post is going to mention God. (So it's obvi gonna be a good one.) **
I was driving home this evening, flying down the hill near my parents, when I saw a small, round object on the road. Thinking it trash or even a dead animal, I made the attempt to straddle it with my car and carry on. Unlike trash or a dead animal, in the rear view mirror I saw the object flutter up and then back down into the center of the road. Of course I pulled over and flashed on my hazards.
Luckily, this road is not a busy one, so I was able to casually walk up to the object. The once-fluttering, now-stunned object was a young, if not baby, bird. Its mother was sitting in a near-by bush (I could hear her chirping frantically), unable to help. From the looks of the little guy, I assumed something was broken- maybe a wing? a leg? certainly not his neck or he wouldn't be chirping at an impressively consistent tempo.
I pulled my sleeve over my hand (just in case he felt inclined to bite), and scoop the baby up. He didn't bite, or fuss, or do anything really, except settle down into my hand. He hung out there for a while until I noticed he was using both of his legs. Recalling the knowledge I had long ago when I owned a parakeet (Noel- rest in peace), I pushed my finger against the chick's chest and he reluctantly stepped on. Success! His leg was not broken!
Balance only occurred for a moment before he fell off and tumbled the tiny distance from my finger to my lap. In the fall, he fluttered both wings- no broken bones there! He'd perked up over time, too. I concluded that the little guy was stunned, probably because of the cars constantly straddling his fragile little figure. I placed him on the side of the road, in the grass near his mother's chirps, and left him there for nature to reunite him with mom and take its course.
...
This is the second bird rescue I've made this summer- both critters just seemed stunned and unable to move from the road. I tend to think this is God helping me heal from a traumatic animal-road-incident that happened earlier this summer. Of course, 94% of the world asks, "Why do you bother stopping?"
If you know me.... AT ALL.... you know why I bother stopping. I stop because it's important. I stop because that animal, struggling in the middle or on the side or in the field, is alive and scared and in need of help. Not all animals want help- I know that I can't help all of them. This is where my faith comes in.
I can only stop and offer my hands or my warmth or a home for the night. God can lead that animal to me and help me make the rescue. God can reunite baby bird with mama bird after I've helped her out of harms way. God can also send the animal away from me, letting me know that nature is taking her course and the animal is not meant for me. I invest a lot of my faith in my passion for animals and their treatment and well being.
I'm not saying everyone should stop (and I also recognize that a lot of people DO stop). Not everyone knows what to do with abandoned or scared animals. I don't always know. I've also heard about dogs and cats being tied up on the side of the road to lure kindhearted people into stopping. As always, be aware of your surroundings and be safe.
The moral of today's story is if you can stop and it's a safe place and you know you might do some good, stop. If ever you need help with a rescue, CALL ME. People always talk about wanting to make a difference in the life of another. "Another" doesn't always mean human- in my case, "another" has fur, feathers, or scales.
