THE REMINDER AT THE WINDOW
JENNIFER C. BALL
M
y Uncle Frank was lying on the couch in our living room when it first happened. He looked to his left to the glass window that normally displays a sizeable evergreen tree in our side yard. That day, we had a surprise visitor. The bird was red with a tiny mohawk and black around the eyes like a raccoon. Tap. Flutter. Tap. Flutter. Tap. The tip of its red beak kept hitting the glass as it flapped its wings. Several months earlier, my family and I were pinning teal ribbons on dark clothing. Teal is the symbol for ovarian cancer, which claimed my Aunt Sue’s life. The cancer had finally taken her, leaving her husband, my Uncle Frank, and two children on Earth. We provided hugs and comfort to her sons and my uncle. Life continued to unfold without Aunt Sue, or so we thought. ~ While Aunt Sue struggled with ovarian cancer, Uncle Frank took her to doctor appointments and made sure she was as comfortable as possible. Amid the activity, he neglected his own health. He had already survived a bout of kidney cancer a few years before, but he was so busy working and caring for my aunt that he started missing his own doctor appointments. Her needs were more important. He’d return to the doctor after she passed away, he thought. When he did, it was too late. The cancer was back. After a couple months, we realized he was getting worse, and my mom suggested he move in with us to facilitate his care. So he did. ~ And that brought us to the moment we first saw the bird at the window. The back of our house was wooded, full of insects, deer, and rabbits. Growing up, my dad would often call me over to the back window to see a hawk soaring high above the sky or a wily coyote sneaking through the yard.
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This time he said: “It’s a cardinal.” At family dinner a few weeks later, my uncle explained that he started noticing the same bird coming back to the same window, day after day. We discussed the visitor—and its spiritual significance. A cardinal sighting is supposed to be a message from a spirit. “The spiritually sensitive often experience a red cardinal sighting as a message from Spirit, and for good reason. When Spirit wants to attract your attention in a positive way, Spirit will find a way to do so, and in a way that brings you joy . . . It bridges the gap between Earth and Spirit, and it also brings the wisdom of the Universe to our doorsteps in a bright and beautiful way. All we have to do is pay attention,” I read to my family from a blog post devoted to cardinals. While I grew up in a Catholic home, we had lost our devoutness after I entered high school. Weekly church attendance dwindled to a couple times a year, on major holidays. We were “Creasters,” as some might say, only attending mass on Christmas and Easter. But even though we weren’t as religious as we used to be, our family maintained a sense of spiritual belief. At dinner, the next part didn’t need to be said. The cardinal was a sign from Aunt Sue. She was his angel, and she was sending him a message. The cardinal returned to the evergreen tree on the side of our house day after day. Tap. Flutter. Tap. Flutter. Tap. “Look who’s back,” Uncle Frank said, a wide grin lighting up his face. The cardinal liked the evergreen tree next to the side window in our house. Evergreen trees stay thick and provide shelter through the winter months. They offer safety and protection by surrounding the bird with foliage. I can relate—it’s nice to feel surrounded, protected. It feels like home. Also, when cardinals mate, they mate for life. On Uncle Frank’s final night, he knew what was happening. “I think you should call the boys. Just in case,” he told my mom. She knew what he meant. She called his two sons. It was after midnight, but it didn’t much matter. We sat up until the early morning hours talking and
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