I loved joining Mom on sees to “Miss Frances” in her stunning old home on the river. Even after we moved up to Birmingham, my mother would plan a journey or 2 every year to see Miss Frances.
My mother had passed away only a few months earlier, and I had become increasingly dissatisfied in my career. Needless to say, when the vacation season rolled around, I was certainly not in a happy mood.
It was Miss Frances calling to invite me to spend Christmas with her in Alabama. I handled to get a couple of days off from work and headed down to Magnolia Springs. After a cup of hot chocolate, she showed me to the visitor bed room where my mother and I had stayed so lots of times in the past– the one with the beautiful view of the yard, all the method down to the river.
Early the next morning, I heard a gentle knock on my door. A smiling Miss Frances entered with a warm mug of coffee and set it on my nightstand. She walked over to the window, threw open the drapes, and announced, “Honey, I have a surprise for you. Come see!” Despite the fact that it was the last thing I wished to do, I required myself to get up and keep an eye out. What a spectacular sight. The dark, uninspiring lawn had actually become a living holiday card. The sky was filled with big, fluffy, swirling snowflakes, and flocks of redbirds were soaring above the ground all the way down to the water.
I barely had time to capture my breath when, all at once, a streak of crimson shot straight up in the air. A substantial redbird landed right on the windowsill. He cocked his head, looked me ideal in the eye, and started leaping up and down as if to state, “Get up! Come outside and play.” He then flew back down to join his good friends below. I was suddenly wide-awake. “Wow! Did you see that?” I asked. Miss Frances laughed and said, “Yes, I did. You know, your mom liked redbirds.”
” I keep in mind,” I replied. “She always said they were her favorites. I wish she were here with us to see them.”
Miss Frances asked me something I’ve never ever forgotten. She smiled and responded, “Well, honey, how do you know she’s not?”
I spent the next few days sitting outside on her back porch, listening to the happy chirps of those gorgeous animals. They were just so fun to see. Similar to tiny clowns, they charmed me with their little black masks. Bright, cheerful redbirds were everywhere that year. Even as we walked over to the Community Hall for the Christmas Day celebration, they seemed to fly along the street with us.
Recalling now, I can truthfully state that when I left Magnolia Springs that vacation, the deep sorrow I had arrived with had vanished. Someone or something must have known that trip was precisely what I needed.
I later learned that in many cultures across the world, going back thousands of years, a redbird sighting is thought to have an unique meaning.
Early European settlers in America called them cardinals and said they were angels or spirits sent from Heaven as a sign of hope and convenience. Others view them as a see from a left enjoyed one, sent out as a pointer that you are not alone. I’ve even heard that some think they are a sign of good luck for the coming year.
Naturally, we are all totally free to believe what we desire. But for me, I will constantly believe that seeing a redbird in December is nature’s way of stating “Merry Christmas,” straight from Heaven.
