bird stories

Yesterday I decided to take a day off. Went off to Terra Santa College where I use to live in 2005. We taped an interview - I think you'll get to see it in the Internet. Had a nice lunch there - the franciscan sisters are fantastic cooks. Then continued working there with some documents until 3pm. I was told there was no enough voice in our daily procession in the Holy Sepulchre so if I could go help out? I'm known for my loud voice! So I decided to directly to the Holy Sepulchre - in my sneakers (Luca's - hey by the way, when are you getting me another pair?) Looked weird wearing the habit with sneakers. Anyway the procession went off well, with the few of us belting it out.

I never saw the streets of jerusalem so tight with security as yesterday. All roads leading to the Old City were closed. Police and soldiers everywhere. I figured it was because the Jewish priests were giving the blessing (occurs twice a year at the Wailing Wall) and every Jew wanted to go there to receive it. It was an amazing sight.

Anyway on my way to the Holy Sepulchre I had to stop and buy canary food - we've got lots of mouths to feed now that 4 fledgings are learning to fly, and new clutches are being layed. Most shops were closed because of the Passover holiday - but I was nicely surprised to find many others opened - including a bakery which sells cakes/buns with leaven!!! Most shops have leavened products covered under cloth or plastic so as not to offend the Passover law against having leaven in the house. Well pet food is considered leavened, so all were under covers. 3 pet shops were opened and seeing them covered, I wanted to walk off. The shop-lady asked what I wanted and I said bird-food so she got her son to reach inside the plastic covering to get a packet - I said isn't it against the Passover law? and she smiled and replied "we try not to break it, but if the canaries die of hunger, that would be a greater sin". Isn't that lovely? the law of Charity, the law of giving life even to animals holds up above legalism.

2 days back Sr Geronima found our cat (yuck) with a baby sparrow in its mouth - obviously it fell from its nest and the cat got it. The poor bird has a broken leg and being a baby, can't fly. Its parents keep flying around chirping and distressed. Sr geronima put it inside the large canary cage which for the moment has only one resident - a white female canary. All the rest are in smaller breeding cages in pairs. Fr Bissoli said the sparrow will die as it can't eat by itself. Its parents stay close to the edge of the cage, chirping and trying to feed it through the wires. Then today I saw something incredible - our white female canary adopted the sparrow as her own! She was feeding the sparrow with regurgitated food. Wow! What things humans can learn from animals!

My BP is holding up well - so far it's an average of 125 / 75. The only thing is I keep feeling so tired. This morning while studying one verse, I fell asleep at the desk. Woke a half hour later totally confused. Got to settle my pattern carefully again so I can balance everything.