Tenderness

I thought this was a good image for today - a male cardinal feeding his baby.  I am frequently touched by the care that birds give to their young - it's hard not to ascribe human emotions and words to scenes like this.  But unlike humans, adult birds won't grieve if their young are lost - they will simply try again.  I think this pair of cardinals has lost one of their young - I have only seen this juvenile male for the last several days, not his "sister".  So both parents are fully focused on feeding this one, shooing him up into the trees to stay away from predators, being the best parents they can be. There is something quite reassuring about that right now.

xo
Debbi

MiL is still aware but less and less verbal now, almost as if the effort of speaking is just too much. But she still managed to give my hand a surprisingly strong squeeze when I sat with her today. Nothing to eat or drink.