Life is full of beauty and
wonder. Here is a sweet story about Gail’s parents and their connection with
one of nature’s tiny, beautiful creatures – and with each other.
Let
me tell you that Hummingbirds have always been my parents’ things. They loved
them. They had many decorations at each of their homes with Hummingbirds on
them.
They
had stained glass windows, garden birds, hummingbird coasters, books, photos
and drawings. Every time they went anywhere, they would look for items with
hummingbirds and bring them home as souvenirs.
My
dad was very proud of his invention that had a small tuna can at the base of a
bird feeder. The can was filled with ant poison that would prevent ants from
crawling up the pole and drinking the brightly colored, sweet liquid.
Mom
and dad lived in Palm Springs and spent many hours in their garden patio,
eating all of their meals outdoors, watching the little birds . My dad would
even name them and claim that he recognized each of them as they visited along
side their breakfast table each morning. They truly looked forward to greeting
them each day.
All
of my parents’ friends knew of their love for the little critters, so they were
gifted with many hummingbird items.
When
my father passed away and the family was at Riverside National Cemetery for his
services, a single hummingbird flew into our little shelter and presided over
dads ashes. It was a moment in time that the entire group of family and friends
took note of, loved and appreciated.
After
dad died my mother moved to La Mirada. Mom still had a passion for the birds
and always felt comforted when she saw one. She believed that it was my dad
saying hello. She loved the little birds and watched them daily from her
bedroom window.
There
was a bottle brush tree with thousands of brightly colored brushes that was
constantly alive with the hum of little birds. At any given time, you could see
the flapping of little wings as birds flitted from one brush to the next.
Fast
forward 15 years. Mom was on her death
bed. My sisters and I spent two months in her bed with her, helping her die. Mom
cried a lot because death was taking much longer than she expected. She cried
and couldn't understand why my father wasn't coming for her. She feared that he
didn't want her any longer.
In
one of those last difficult days, when we all needed it most, a cluster of 6
hummingbirds came from the tree, flew over about 10 feet to her window. They as
a group began to tap their little beaks on the glass. They continued for over
one minute.
The
continuous tap, tap, tap startled us all. We were speechless and couldn't move.
We were watching something that we could not explain. None of us have ever seen
anything like this and still can't physically explain what would make a pack of
6 birds go to a window and in unison tap tap tap.
We
definitely have our beliefs and that comfort brings smiles to our faces.
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