During the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (the Days of Awe) a bird came to visit my apartment. She showed up midday on Saturday; she was just there when I came back in from walking the dogs, flapping her wings against the inside of the living room window, inches away from the space where she must have accidentally come in (there’s a space next to the air conditioner that Mom uses to give the neighborhood birds their snacks). I tried to show the bird the exit, as gently as possible, but she ignored me.
“I’m staying.”
I, of course, took pictures of her flying around the apartment, from light fixture to curtain rod to picture frame, thinking she would be leaving at any moment. And when I left to pick up Mom from the train (she’d been out quilting with friends for the day), I was sure the bird would be gone when we returned. But she was still there, and Mom said that she was a (female) house sparrow, based on her size and markings.
We put a few pieces of challah on the window sill in the living room, to show her the way back outside, but the bird picked up each piece of bread and flew it to her safe place (a wooden loom on top of Mom’s bookcase) and ate in peace. Then she took a nap, head curled into her neck, half hidden behind the living room curtain.
Sleeping birdie.
We were sure she would be gone by morning, after her meal and a long nap indoors, but she woke me up at seven thirty the next morning with a big squawk. She had ventured out of the living room at some point and found her way into my room. And decided she needed company; and that her company should be awake.
“Something is very wrong with these animals.”
When we all decamped to the living room for breakfast, and the CBS Sunday morning show (Mom watches the whole show just to see the moment of nature at the end), the bird followed. She was very entertaining. She flew back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room to the living room, doing her own version of dog zoomies. She shared Mom’s breakfast (Mom got a picture of the bird eating challah on the kitchen counter), and pooped in all kinds of new places.
“Don’t poop on me, Birdie.”
Later, the bird even followed me into the bathroom when I went to take a shower (I didn’t notice she was there until too late, but she was kind enough to wait for me on top of the medicine cabinet instead of hanging out in the shower with me. Small favors). Cricket was waiting right outside the bathroom door afterward, horrified.
“Aaaaack!!!”
By the thirtieth hour of the bird’s visit, Mom was getting worried. She’d reached out to her cyber community and was reminded of the health risks of having a wild bird in the house, because of the poop she seemed to drop any and everywhere. So we removed all traces of food from the kitchen counters, and even got rid of the bread for the outdoor birds. But the bird decided to try the kibble left in the dogs’ bowls, and then she checked the living room floor for any crumbs the dogs might have left behind. Cricket started to notice the invasion at that point, because it was one thing to have a bird flying around in the light fixtures, but something completely different to have a bird calmly walking along the floor, trying to share her food. Cricket’s food is sacrosanct, just ask Ellie.
“It’s true.”
“Now where did that fluffy monster hide the treats?”
When it was time to go to sleep for the night, the bird set herself up on her wooden loom again, and she was still there the next morning, though she was kind enough not to wake me up this time. I do prefer to sleep as late as I can.
Butterfly watching over Birdie’s meeting with Canada bird.
I was seconds away from naming her (Tzippy, short for Tzipporah, Hebrew for female bird) when the bird finally left. Mom plugged the hole next to the air conditioner with a tissue, to discourage her from coming back in, but the bird seemed to have finished her visit by then and didn’t return. There had been a lot of extra squawking outside the windows that morning, maybe from her family or friends, telling her that she needed to come back out to the real world.
The depression I felt after the bird left was pervasive. I felt like we’d exiled her. Yes, she pooped everywhere, and didn’t clean up after herself; and yes, she woke me up too early in the morning; and yes, Cricket was getting annoyed with her. But she made me feel special, just by being there. She made me feel chosen.
There’s a moment in the prayer service at my synagogue where we put our arms around each other to say the Priestly Blessing, as a way to celebrate family and community ties. It took me a few years to get used to all of the touching and closeness involved in that blessing, but for the forty-some-odd hours while the bird was staying with us, I felt like she was holding out her wings to be included in our little family group: singing the blessing with us, arm in arm.
And I felt blessed, and full of awe. We focus so much on self-examination and looking for the sins we need to atone for during the High Holiday season, but the bird reminded me that sometimes there’s nothing to atone for. Sometimes your assessment can tell you that you are on track and you are loved, and that you deserve the visit of a little bird to remind you that every day can be full of awe, if you pay attention.
Bye bye Birdie.
If you haven’t had a chance yet, please check out my Young Adult novel, Yeshiva Girl, on Amazon. And if you feel called to write a review of the book, on Amazon, or anywhere else, I’d be honored.
Yeshiva Girl is about a Jewish teenager on Long Island, named Isabel, though her father calls her Jezebel. Her father has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with one of his students, which he denies, but Izzy implicitly believes it’s true. As a result of his problems, her father sends her to a co-ed Orthodox yeshiva for tenth grade, out of the blue, and Izzy and her mother can’t figure out how to prevent it. At Yeshiva, though, Izzy finds that religious people are much more complicated than she had expected. Some, like her father, may use religion as a place to hide, but others search for and find comfort, and community, and even enlightenment. The question is, what will Izzy find?
rachelmankowitz 
Such a heart warmer of a post, Rachel. That bird felt loved in your house. And the fact that Cricket didn’t attack her says something. I guess I kind of wish she had stayed…..
Me too!
That was exquisite. I would look for a publication to submit this to. It is that well expressed. Peace this evening.
Thank you so much!
What a lovely story. But I am happy to know the bird got back outside and into her normal world. She was an interesting little visitor though!
She really was!
This was absolutely charming. I too feel privileged when I get to share, in some way, in the lives of wild creatures. I love to feed the birds, and they provide me with endless chuckles and photos. I wonder if that’s why God made them.
I like to think God created humans to keep all of the other animals entertained.
I think the bird was bringing you a blessing. We distance ourselves from nature…inside/outside. And she reminded you that we are all part of the same world.
I love that! Thank you!
I had a sparrow visit recently as well. It must have flown in while I was letting the dogs in. I have two dogs at the moment as I am dog sitting for my sister. This visit only lasted a few minutes as I opened doors and took out a couple screens so it could fly out. I’m just sure it made a pretty funny scene with me and the two dogs chasing the bird around the house.
The strange thing is how little my dogs reacted to the bird. I thought they’d be driven crazy by it, but mostly they just ignored it.
I really loved this story! it was special!
Thank you so much!
This is wonderful and that look on the little pup is so cute.
Thank you!
What a wonderful story! You are so right — sometimes we need reminders that the things that surround us all the time (that we hardly pay attention to) are also amazing. 🙂
And the Don’t-poop-on-me pic is priceless!
Thank you! Ellie is very tolerant, but she draws the line at being pooped on.
Perfect concluding paragraph to the post.
Thank you!
How wonderful, thank you. I love birds, so reading this on top of the morning just made my day.
Happy holiday 🙂
I’m so glad! Happy holiday to you too!
Nice birdie and warm feelings in your writing. The birdie felt comfortable in your abode which shows that you have a blessed home. Your care for her may have left her happy.
Thank you!
Delightful. Thank you. Any encounter with wildlife is special and your description of yours with the sparrow makes me smile.
Thank you!
Incredible! There is a message in that from God I believe. He came to you in a little bird…
Thank you!
Is this the little bird from your story who felt she had lost her song? Interesting that she came to you to tell her story.
I didn’t think of that. Maybe she came here because she reads the blog and wanted a spin off of her own!
If she comes back, see if she’ll give an interview.
That would be awesome!
Oh my God!
You were chosen during the holiest Jewish days.
This bird selected you, and you know it, and it is really remarkable.
And you let it go.
But not before you fed it.
All, so great!
Thank you!
A bird definitely makes your life better. Take me, for instance.
Of course!
What a sweet story. The bird gave you a real gift.
She really did! Thank you!
What a nice story. I think the bird loved to visit you.
Thank you! I hope so!
I never heard of a wild bird staying so comfortably indoors. Most birds would be in a panic to get out, flying against the window panes, or the humans would be in a panic trying to catch the bird. Certainly a special visitor.
Very special!
Wonderful story. Do you think the bird’s timing was of significance? I believe that God sends us people, things, even animals when the time is right and for a reason. I have 4 rescue animals to show for it!
Thank you! As for the timing, I always think things happen for a reason, even if I can’t understand the reason myself.
Lucky you! I feed birds in the winter and it provides many hours of entertainment. I’m trying to work out what species your bird was…? Is she a sparrow?
She was a house sparrow and she was very entertaining!
I know this isn’t the point of the post, but please tell your mom I’m with her on the Sunday morning nature moment. We love it at our house, too.
As for the bird’s visit, I am reminded of an old book title “Angels Unaware.”
You had a rare opportunity to entertain one.
I think my mom would have liked a career as a nature videographer, if she’d only known it was an option. When she went to film school cameras were considered “too heavy” for women to carry. Phooey!!!
Your mom went to film school?? Very cool.
Yes! Very cool! She went to USC around the same time Steven Spielberg was rejected.
What a beautiful story. She could have been a good omen. Have you seen Dead to Me on Netflix? There’s a few scenes where a bird comes to visit. And have you read The Goldfinch? Your post reminds me of both. Happy New Year!
Thank you so much!
A bird in the house would trigger my OCD.
Oh no! Maybe if she came in with her own tiny can of Lysol it would be okay?
LOL maybe.
Such a delightful story of the sparrow’s visit. My wife is scared of birds flapping in the house, but she would insist that it was a ‘spiritual’ visit, from someone telling you that they are happy in the afterlife, and thinking of you.
For me, I will just say it was a nice event to brighten your life.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thank you! Whichever it was, I enjoyed the visit.
A lovely post Rachel. We had a swallow fly into our lounge when we were in the cottage. Luckily it turned sharply at 180 degrees and left by the same exit, but it could have gone into any of the three bedrooms, the back hall, bathroom, kitchen or dining room had it turned left or right!
Thank you!
What a warm, lovely, and well-written story. Thanks for sharing. The message is one that many can learn from.
Thank you!
Pingback: Then Sings My Soul.. | sparksfromacombustiblemind
I agree that the bird was a blessing. a kind spirit sent to you.
Thank you!
Such a special little visitor, he picked a good home to stop by and say hello!
Thank you!
I agree, too. Your Tzippy ❤️ IS a special visit from above ☁🌌
Thank you!
What a lovely experience, and wonderful to get the photos to remember it too! It’s nice she felt secure enough to stay, and I too would have been sad at her departure, even though she would be better off in the wild 🙂
Thank you!
Animal 3ncounters are always special and you were certainly blessed by the little sparrow. A lovely post Rachel
Thank you!
The visit of a wild bird is like the visit of something holy. I am so glad the sparrow came to you!
Thank you!
We used to get bats in the house, which creeped me out. Your bird visitor is much cooler.
Much cooler! A bat would freak me out.
I’m a birder and I love watching the birds at my feeders. Although I want to think of them as my friends, I always remind myself that they aren’t. They are a blessing as a example of the awesomeness of nature and the lessons that God sends us through their beauty and behaviors. This is a nice story but I need to ask you and your mom not to put out bread for them. It’s not their natural diet and it isn’t that good for them. Seed is better.
A story written beautifully
Thank you!
Thank you for such a lovely story, and excellent photographs. A very interesting visit. The neighbourhood cat comes to visit but it’s not the same thing. A lovely adventure, well written.
Thank you for such a lovely story, and excellent photographs. A very interesting visit. The neighbourhood cat comes to visit but it’s not the same thing. A lovely adventure, well written.
Thank you so much! Cricket would LOVE to have cat visit, but the local cats seem to know better.
sorry about the double entry – my computer is playing up.
That little bird will go down in bird history. ❤️
Your thoughts are beautiful. Your words echos the feelings in my heart for wildlife. Thank you for sharing your heart touching visit with a precious angelic bird. ❤
Thank you so much!
Interesting and lovely story! 😊
Thank you!
Brilliant, Rachel! There is a folk tradition that a bird in the house is a messenger from God. Sounds like yours was!
I am imagining the story the birdie told his friends about his adventure.
Cricket is ready to be a star in the birdie blogosphere!!!!
Cricket is already a star in the WordPress blogosphere!
Yes. The bird reminds us of awe. God’s gift.
It really felt like that in person, too!
I really enjoyed your bird story. I would love it if a bird came to visit me.
Thank you!
There’s a belief that our loved ones who have passed on sometimes visit us as animals:). I wonder who your bird was? And I’m loving the pic of bird on stuffed animals! Talk about camouflage:).
Thank you!
What an adventure! To think a wild bird could become so adapted and comfortable as to visit homes for a few days. Sorry it was messy, but it must have been nice to have secure food. I wonder what she drank for hydration?
My mom left bottle caps filled with water, but they were never used, so I don’t know.
Reblogged this on Mitch Teemley and commented:
My Featured Blogger this week is Rachel Mankowitz of The Cricket Pages. Rachel is a gifted professional writer and writing coach who also teaches Hebrew language classes. I know you’ll enjoy Rachel blog posts, but I’d particularly like to point you toward her novel Yeshiva Girl (mentioned at the end of her post). I just finished reading it and wholeheartedly recommend it! Yeshiva Girl is a subtle, nuanced, funny, and ultimately moving story about an Orthodox Jewish teenager. Izzy struggles to find her sense of place and self at a time when her family life has been upended by charges of sexual abuse against her father. The story, which features marvelous character development and dialogue, is driven not so much by what happens as what doesn’t happen. It’s about what bubbles beneath the surface of its character’s lives: longing, repression, and fear-driven inaction. Read Rachel Mankowitz. Read Yeshiva Girl!
It’s frustrating trying to help a bird (or any wild creature) see the way to safety, no matter how much you care. This story reminds me of this Christmas story by Paul Harvey:
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=paul+harvey+christmas+devotion&view=detail&mid=F1E3A6BFD235C0058390F1E3A6BFD235C0058390&FORM=VIRE