Spiritual Awakening

The other day as I walked by my window looking out into my backyard I noticed a cardinal siting on the power lines above. The older I’ve gotten, the more fond I’ve grown of birds and so I smiled, happy to see the contrast of his beautiful red feathers among the lush green trees.

Later on that day I saw the same bird, still there, perched on the power lines exuding contentment. He was not in a hurry and seemed to have no place more important to be. Just there, present in the moment reminding me that I too, can be present in the moment at any time I choose. I can stop living in the past and stop worrying about the future and just be like the bird. Here.

Later that evening, the bird was still there in the same place. I pointed him out to my children and husband and we all looked out the window noticing the beauty of this red creature.

The next day, I got up and walked past the window on my way to the kitchen for my morning coffee and smiled when I noticed the bird still sitting on the power lines. He was there when I came home from work and we all looked at him again before it got dark and we said goodnight.

Photo by Joe Cox on Unsplash

I was starting to feel moved by the bird. I wondered if maybe it was trying to tell me something or maybe it represented something. I googled, what does it mean when a cardinal is in your yard. The first article that popped up said “Cardinals here? Angels near.” I read along as the article explained that cardinals are a sign that a loved one or an ancestor is watching out for you. They bring love, protection and peace.

One article even said:

It is believed that God sends a cardinal to communicate various things, such as hope during turmoil, a reminder of self-worth, a reminder to stay connected to faith and spiritual practices, a reminder to stay peaceful, or even a reminder of life beyond the earthly realm and a greater kingdom in heaven.

I looked out the window acknowledging my cardinal/ancestor and let it know I’m listening if you have a message for me. Thank you for supporting me. I haven’t had the best month but it felt like light was finally breaking through and the fog was lifting. I thought, maybe it’s the cardinal bringing me some much needed peace.

The next day I carried on with my time as usual passing the by the window to do laundry, run errands, and go to and from like always. The whole time seeing the bird out of the corner of my eye feeling secure, hopeful and connected to all things on Earth. Knowing that the bird was there, I would remember to take a deep breath, relax my face and shoulders and use a more loving tone when asking the kids to clean up the 300 dishes they left out during our first week of summer vacation.

Finally, I went for a run and decided to go down by the bird for a closer look. At this point, I thought the bird and I were so connected that it would obviously land on my shoulder and speak words to me that only I could hear. The closer I got, the more convinced I was that the bird and I were one because even though I was running toward it, the bird made no effort to move. When I finally got underneath the power line I looked up only to find that the bird wasn’t a bird at all. Instead, what I was seeing was a piece of red ribbon stuck on the power line.

For days, I was communicating with and comforted by a piece of trash. The amount of times that I nodded while smiling knowingly at this piece of trash is embarrassing. When I discovered this misunderstanding, I laughed out loud while my faced flushed with humiliation. I wondered how I could ever confess the truth to my family after walking around saying to them in a confident tone “Our bird is still here, everyone look.”

I’m not gonna lie though, the made up bird was just what I needed to get out of my head and into a better mindset. And maybe just maybe there is something in my life to provide me with protection, hope and peace…..me.

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