A Happy Ending to the story of "Wind"

So about a month ago I made a video about a Great Blue Heron in my neighborhood who had a crippling encounter with some fishing line. My girls and I love being outside and we always have, so one day we noticed "Wind" the name my girls gave to the heron, flying overhead with something attached to her legs. This was almost three months ago and we decided that we would get a closer look when we could see her standing near the lake behind our home. Sure enough, she had some twine wrapped around her long legs that was preventing her from standing on both feet and most likely disabling her fishing techniques. We were quite familiar with her as she has been coming to fish near our home for a few years now and we felt very sad and helpless when we saw her in this condition. So, we decided to call the South Florida Wildlife Center to let them know about this beautiful bird. At first we were told that if she could still fly, then she was okay and still able to fish, but to call back if she appeared to be getting weak. Apparently, I had not been the only person who had called about her as they informed me that someone else had taken note of her unfortunate situation. They said that she would most likely fly away if an attempt was made to catch her. Well, days turned into weeks and someone from the Wildlife center did indeed come out to try and catch her, they saw me feeding her bread just a few feet away but when she sensed the worker nearby she kept flying away. I tried to mentally connect with her and let her know that he only wanted to help her, but she was not having it. My girls were insistent on helping her and rightly so for she was becoming weaker and more desperate to catch fish, but she still came over to eat the bread we threw out onto the lake for the ducks every week. We watched her like a hawk and sure enough, her legs became weaker from the twine being so embedded in her them. We knew we had to do something when we saw her falling into the lake and looking like a large duck just floating in the water. Wind felt very comfortable around us and would allow us to be only steps away from her as she ate the bread we gave to her. It made us happy that she was eating something as we knew she probably wasn't catching much fish if any. We knew she needed help though and we called again for someone to come out to rescue her since her condition seemed to be getting worse. This past Friday we had a knock on our door and we all stood there in amazement as we looked on to the man who had tried to catch Wind before but now finally had her in his arms!

 Another worker stood next to him and showed us a baggie with the fishing twine inside of it, finally cut away from her legs. Me and my girls were so very happy and we thanked the guys for their successful rescue. I actually breathed a sigh of relief, I was so thankful. They told us that they used fish to lure her to them and she seemed so ravenous for the fish that it was not very hard this time to catch her. I was thinking of how she must have been feeling; confused, yet maybe happy that her legs were free now. They asked us if we wanted to touch her and we did; her feathers were so soft and her large eyes were fixed on us. We told her she would be okay now and that we were so happy for her...I was very worried about her legs, and they told us they would do everything they could to help her. I called the next day, hoping for good news and they informed me that Wind was doing well after her legs had been cleaned, bandaged and she had been given antibiotics. They also shared with us that they would most likely return her to the lake behind our home after she heals up. I felt so good inside and shared the news with my girls. We all have soft spots for animals, I always have, since I was a girl. I remember rescuing all types of animals, some successful, others not always, but I see that same love in the hearts of my children for all of the Earth's inhabitants. And what a gift of the Spirit it truly is when we can feel compassion for those who have no voice but depend on us sometime to help them.

Communication is a beautiful art

I find that when I talk to my kids and really listen with intent to what they have to say, I am able to have a closer relationship with them. I really love hearing their thoughts and what they feel is important in their world, it seems to make a big difference in their self esteem. I make sure my phone is out of reach for a bit, the t.v. is off and we are in a comfortable space for them to share their feelings with me. I was a child once and I remember how good it felt when I was listened to and not brushed off. I feel like I am setting the stage for the teenage years; if I talk to them now and expect us to have healthy communication patterns, perhaps it will be something they will continue as they get older. I would love for that to happen, even if they don't tell me everything they are experiencing, the gist of this practice will instill in them that they can come to me no matter what. I often learn a thing or two when communicating with my kids and believe me, they do take notice! The older my children get, the more imperative it is for me to make that connection with them. Things are different, they don't always volunteer to share every waking minute of their lives with me like they did when they were just learning how to speak. I have to make the first move sometimes when we talk, and I have to show them that I am deeply interested in what they have to express to me. I treasure our moments when we share a laugh or our opinions together, it is meaningful indeed. Perhaps I will get the scoop on their school day or be able to put myself in their shoes about an event that stuck with them when we have heart to hearts. Either way, they will know that what they have to say matters.