So have you ever been going through a really tough time? Loss, illness, depression, anxiety, mental disorder, eating disorder? Whatever that tough time is…you know what it felt like or feels like. Maybe like you’re looking down from above but don’t even recognize yourself. In that heaviness and darkness did something “out of the ordinary” appear to you? Think about it…..It might have been the fleeting shape of a cloud, a leaf the shape of a heart, a dragonfly, a small child who looked right into your eyes and saw YOU! For me, it was a male cardinal. The very first time he made his entrance, I was driving to my Mom and Dad’s in the early morning. My Dad was home with hospice care. It was only several days…He adored the birds and fed them religiously every day. There were always beautiful birds off his deck…chickadees, goldfinch, bluebirds, hummingbirds and yes…cardinals! So I’m on this busy main road and flying right in front of me, there he was. This brilliant red cardinal. Where he came from, I have no idea. But he came at the absolute right time. For me he offered peace, stillness, hope, a glimmer of light that said “it will be OK.” My Dad was in hospice for 11 days. And all those days and since we still feed his birds. This cardinal has made many appearances since to me, my Mom and other family. The most recent, he was sitting on the hood of my nephew, Jamie’s car, nope…they do not feed the birds. But Jamie has taken up woodworking, like his Poppi did, with many of his tools! Just when you need him, that cardinal appears.
So I ask you, what’s your cardinal?