Yesterday morning, I was up early like I always am. It was still dark out. Cup of coffee in hand, I go to my office, sit down at my desk, turn on the computer, and start writing a story I have been wanting to do titled – Gotcha Kids.

I was busy doing research about adoption and making notes. I leaned back in my chair and sipped my coffee. Out the office window the sun was rising. Before going back to writing, I looked around the room at all the pictures of our grandkids. Two of them are our gotcha grandkids.

My thoughts turned to all the memories my wife and I have with those two boys. Suddenly, I was startled by a loud bang from something hitting a window. I looked out my office window and could not see anything. So, I got my warm clothes on and went out into the cold to find out what it was.

As I rounded the corner, I saw it. A bright red male Cardinal lay below our garage window near my office. It was lifeless. I kneeled beside it and stroked its beautiful feathers. I vowed right then to put something in the windows to prevent birds from flying into them.

We feed birds and put up nesting boxes for them. We even have native trees and bushes we have planted just for the birds. My wife and I enjoy watching them go about their daily lives.

I have always been a hunter. I have taken the lives of many wild game animals to feed my family. I taught my sons, grandsons, and granddaughter how to hunt animals for food. I taught them to honor the game God provided and thank Him for it. This dying bird should not have bothered me. But it did.

I reached down and picked it up. As I held it gently in my hand, it lay there limp with no sign of life. Then, I thought I felt its heartbeat. I moved my finger around on its chest until I felt it again. It was not dead.

Like I said, I am a grizzled, old hunter who has seen animals die. But knowing God created that bird. And, I was felt its heartbeat, touched my soul. I cradled it in my hand. It did not move. I carried it to the garage. Then I found an old towel to wrap around it and lay it back on the ground. My hope was it had no broken bones. Maybe it was just stunned. As hard as it hit, I could not imagine it surviving. But I was not going to give up on this bird.

I went back into the house to warm up and go back to writing. I could not concentrate on the story. I went back out to check on it. When I removed the towel, it moved slightly and its eyes opened.

There are several neighbor cats that wander through our yard. I did not want them to find the bird. I carried it to the garage and put it and the towel down in a grocery sack. Then closed the garage door.

I left it there and once again attempted to work on my story. I did for a little while. But went back out to check on the bird. The bird started moving around more in the sack. I reached in and picked it up with my hand again. It started chirping at me and moving around even more. I tried to feel around to see if there were broken bones. I could not tell.

I opened the garage door and stepped outside with it. As I held it, I asked God if it was his will. When I opened my hand, this bird would fly away. I cupped both hands around it and talked to it.

Then, I opened my hands. The bird flew up in a tree and looked back at me as if to say thank you. I looked up to God, raised my hands and said thank you. Then I thought of what it says in Matthew 6:26. I would tell you what it says, but I would rather you read it yourself if you don’t already know it.

Later that day, I was out filling all the bird feeders. The weatherman was predicting a winter storm. The birds need that feed to help keep their bodies warm. All the birds usually scatter when I am doing that. They did this time. Except for one beautiful red cardinal who flew in and landed on a fence in my garden close to me. And now you know the rest of the story.