As a walked onto the beach, from the corner of my eye I saw him sitting there. Something wasn’t right, as he looked a little scared and a little snuck. I couldn’t help but pull up my chair and sit next to him. I was having a restless afternoon. My mind was full, but also exhausted, so a quiet unexpected friend seemed like a welcomed omen of sorts.

I petted(is this even a word)his brow and with each stroke his eyes would peacefully close. He was broken. I couldn’t fix his brokenness, except to be along side him in it, so I sat beside him just so he didn’t have to be broken alone. This should be the path of all of us, more often. The brokenness doesn’t hurt nearly as much as being alone in it.

I picked him up onto my Sandal after digging him out from the sand. After awhile he hobbled away and then back to me. Soon, he took 1000 hobbles away making it the great distance of only 3 feet between us. He was independent in his pain. What a strong gentle soul he was…

Out of nowhere a little girl playing on the beach stepped on him accidentally. I let out a scream of fear. I was a little embarrassed and she was a little shocked in disbelief that she had stepped on a bird. For in the mere 30 minutes this bird had become a sweet friend to me which was mostly unexpected because frankly, I don’t really like birds, at all. But in petting him I grew found of him and grew out of whatever fear he may have had of me.

Suddenly getting stepped on put him into gear though. He forget he was hurting and without hesitation, he flew. He flew so high. He was soaring and I couldn’t help but smile… he flew over the sand, across the shore, and plummeted again but into the ocean. I admired that a broken leg still broken still didn’t keep him from flying. It made me wonder how often when a part of us is broken, that we unconsciously equate that to not being able fly…

There I was in the space I fought for. The 2nd time I’d gotten time to myself in quite some time. I was settled in my chair, fully dressed and not prepared to go swimming. Yet, there he was…drowning. So there I went, not really putting one thought in front of the other in and my feet followed. Fully clothed I jumped waist deep into the ocean to save my new unexpected sweet friend.

I snuggled him. I wrapped him in my shirt. People came to thank me for helping him and that really surprised me even though I’m not sure why. Little kids came by to say how sweet he looked. It was a precious little space of time that fleeted almost as fast as it came…

I called the veterarians to see where I could bring it, all while debating as to what to do. While I was debating, praying, wondering, getting attached…

I suddenly had to get detached because in an instant he flew away. I wasn’t ready but I was at peace too. I was a little sad and a little at peace both at the same time. A little healed and somehow a little broken. Goodbyes are really hard for me, the acceptance of seasons is a battle I’ve never truly won.

Did I save it enough I wondered ? I know I tried as hard as I could. Did I actually rescue it… or did it rescue us by flying away?

It was a beautiful hello, and that’s all I really know…

That. And this reminder that whispered in my heart in my debating….

Matthew 6: 26 & 27 “ Look at the birds of the air, they neither sow or reap or store away in barns and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”