Friday, July 15, 2011

THE PROMISE

THE PROMISE

Petie the crow sat on the tree branch and basked in the late afternoon sun. It had been a beautiful day. He stretched his wings out and yawned. It was almost time for his siblings and his father to return back to the tree branch He had just finished a hearty dinner of earthworms and bugs. He glanced over at his mother who was sitting next to him, her head tucked under her wing and enjoying an afternoon nap. Petie had noticed lately mother crow was not looking well, she hadn’t left the tree branch that she was perched on for days. Her feathers looked very disheveled and tattered. Mother crow opened her eyes a bit and noticed that Petie was staring at her with concern. She lifted her head from under her wing and winked at Petie. Petie moved closer to his mother and nuzzled against her.
“Momma, what’s wrong? You didn’t eat anything today, you don’t look well, and you haven’t left this tree branch in days?” Petie asked.
“I’m glad you asked that Petie.” Momma crow said. “I want to talk to you. You’re right, I’m not feeling well, as a matter of fact I am not a well crow, that is why I have not left this tree branch in days and your father has had to go out and find food for me.”
“What’s wrong?” Petie asked.
“I’m a very sick crow.” Mamma crow answered.
“You are going to get better, aren’t you?” Petie asked with deep concern
“I don’t know Petie.” Mother crow answered.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Petie asked.
Mother crow thought for a moment for a way to try to tell her concerned son and prepare him for what might be coming soon.
“Well Petie, none of us really know how long we have on this earth. Some of us live a long time and others don’t get to live as long as others do.”
“I’m not sure what you’re saying momma.” Petie replied.
“Well, do you remember when we had a conversation about your journey, and I told you that everybody has a journey they must take in life?” Mother crow asked.
“Yes mamma.” Petie answered.
“Well everybody’s journey is made up of a beginning, they carry on with their life and eventually everybody’s journey comes to an end.” Mother crow said.
Petie cocked his head to one side and mother crow could tell that her son was having difficulty trying to figure out what she was saying. Mother crow continued on.
“What I mean to say is that you were born, you are carrying on with your life, and someday, someday a very long time from now, you will die.”
“I’m going to die?” Petie asked.
“Yes Petie, after you have lived a long full life and done many things, you will die.”
“How come?” Petie asked.
“Because dying is a part of life. We have a journey and many tasks to do, once our journey and the tasks that each must do is completed, we will die.”
Petie sat and pondered and thought for a moment then suddenly he realized what mother crow was trying to tell him.
“NO MOMMA! NO! Are you going to die momma?” Petie asked tearfully.
“Yes Petie, death is something that we all must go through, and yes, I believe that my time to leave this earth is getting near, that is why I am talking to you today and telling you all of this.” Mother crow answered.
“No momma! You can’t leave me!” Petie cried.
Now now, you must be strong and not feel sad. I have lived a good life Petie, I raised you and your four fledglings, and you and your fledglings have made me very proud.”
“But I can’t live without you momma.” Petie cried.
Mother crow wrapped her wing around her son to comfort him. “You think you can’t live without me, but you will find out that you can.”
“Why are you leaving me?” Petie wept.
“I’m not ever going to leave you Petie, yes, I will die, but you must always remember I will never leave you.”
Mother crow took her wing and pointed to Petie's heart.
“I will never leave you because I will always be right here in your heart.” All you have to do is think of me and I will be right here with you.”
“But I’ll never get to see you again if you die.” Petie cried.”Oh Petie, yes you will, you will see me again. You must live a good life, continue on with your journey that was meant for you and when it is your time to go, you will see me again.” Momma crow explained.
Petie hung his head as the tears continued to fall.
“I know this is hard for you to hear Petie, but none of us get to live forever. You must believe, you must believe of what I just told you and go on with your life and in the end, you will see me again.” Mother crow said.
“Where will you go after you die?” Petie asked.
“Well if we live a good life and we do what is right and we treat others well, when we die there is a special place for us.” Mother crow answered.
“A special place?” Petie asked.
“Yes, many call that special place, heaven.” Mother crow said.
“What is heaven?” Petie asked.
“Heaven is a lovely place, very beautiful beyond anything you could ever imagine. There are many people as well as many crows there.”
Petie hung his head once again and continued to weep.
“How will I know that you’re in heaven after you die?” Petie asked.”I will send you a sign, I will send you a sign to let you know that I am very happy and cared for and not to worry about me.” Mother crow answered.
“Do you promise to send me a sign?” Petie asked.
“Yes I promise you. Mother crow answered.
“Oh momma, please, please don’t go away and leave me.” Petie begged.
“Petie sometimes we don’t get a choice, it is not for us to decide how long we have on this earth, that is for a higher power to decide.”
“Do you mean God?” Petie asked.
“Yes, that is exactly who I mean.” Mother crow answered.
“Do you get to see God when you die?” Petie asked.”Yes.” Mother crow answered.
“What’s God like?” Petie asked.
“Well, You know how I comfort you and your fledgling siblings when something upsets you? I put my wing around you and wipe away all your tears and tell you how much you mean to me and how much I love you?” Mother crow asked.
“Yes.” Petie answered.
“Well that is what God is like. When we get to see him, he comforts us, tells us how much we mean to him and he wipes away all our troubles and tears.” We’re never sad again or angry, we’re only happy.” Mother crow said.
“Can I talk to God?” Petie asked.
“Yes, you can always talk to God and pray, and he will listen.” Mother crow said.
“Do you think God will listen if I talk to him and pray and ask him to make you well?” Petie asked.
“Yes of course he’ll listen. God listens to all prayers Petie, and in time he answers them, but you must also be prepared, sometimes when we pray we don’t always get the answer that we want to happen.” Mother crow explained.
Petie wiped away his tears and took a deep breath then he looked around the yard at all the trees and searched for the biggest and tallest tree that he could find. He quickly hugged his mother and gave her a little peck with his beak then flew off to the big tall tree in the yard. Mother crow watched her son take off and land in the tallest tree in the yard, and then she tucked her head underneath her wing to continue on with her nap.
Petie landed in the tall tree and climbed up to the highest branch that he could perch himself on in the treetop. He sat in the tree and looked up at the sky. He thought about what mother crow had said to him. He was going to pray to God and ask him for a very special favor, he was going to ask God to make mother crow well again and keep her safe so that she could stay with her family.
“God, I know you hear me, I know you listen to all prayers because my momma said so. I chose this big tree because it’s the tallest tree that I could find that is closest to you. So now you can really hear my prayers and you can answer them. My momma is not well, she hasn’t left the tree branch in days, and poppa crow has to bring her food back to the tree branch for her, but sometimes she still won’t eat. Petie’s eyes filled with tears once again as he continued on with his prayer. “God, momma says everybody has to die someday, but I’m not ready for my momma to die and be taken away from all of us. Please God, please, I’m asking that you make her well so that she can stay with us a little while longer. She’s the best momma in the whole wide world and I need her. Please God, please answer my prayer, make my momma well again, I love my momma.”
Petie sat in silence at the top of the tree after he had finished his prayer and waited for an answer. He waited to hear any voice or any noise at all that would mean that God had heard his prayer. Darkness fell quickly and he decided to stay perched in the big tree to continue to talk to God and to see if he would answer his prayer.
Morning had come quickly and Petie stretched his wings out and yawned. He felt a chill in the air. His wings felt damp and wet. He looked up at the sky and dark gray clouds had moved in overnight, it had been raining. He shook the drops of rain off his wings. He lifted off the tree branch and flew down to the tree branch where he had left mother crow. He looked around but mother crow seemed to be nowhere in sight. He CAWED for his father and siblings but he could not hear a return CAW. Then suddenly the answer came to him. “God had answered his prayer. Mother crow was not on the tree branch, which meant that she was well enough to fly.”
“That’s it!” He said aloud to himself. “She’s better and she’s out eating breakfast and finding food for herself this morning.” Petie looked up at the sky. “Oh thank you God! Thank you for answering my prayer!” He shouted. Petie watched the rain continue to fall as looked he around, and waited for mother crow to return to the tree branch. Everything seemed to be very silent, he could only hear the sound of the rain hitting the tree leaves. Then he got a strange feeling inside, he didn’t feel right and it was not the happy tree branch that he and his family were used to. He CAWED once again for his family. Then he listened carefully and he heard a very faint CAW, it seemed to be coming from down below. He quickly flew down and landed on the ground below the tree branch and looked around. Suddenly he saw mother crow. She was laying on the ground trying to stand up.
“MOMMA!” Petie screamed. He hopped over to where his mother was laying, and nudged her with his beak.
“MOMMA!” “PLEASE GET UP MOMMA!” Petie pleaded.
“I can’t Petie, I’m much too weak.” Momma crow whispered.
“WHERE IS POPPA? WHERE IS HE?” Petie screamed.
“Your poppa is out trying to find your siblings to tell them what has happened to me.” Mother crow whispered.
Petie wrapped his wings around his mother tightly to try to keep her warm and dry as the rain continued to pour down. “Oh momma no! This can’t happen to you! I said a prayer and talked to God for you to be well. I even perched myself in the highest tree around here so he would hear me. Why didn’t he answer my prayer?” Petie cried.
“Petie. Remember I told you that God does listen to our prayers but sometimes he does not answer them the way that we would like them to be answered?” Mother crow whispered.
“I also told you that it is my time to go, you must not be sad for me. I have been sick for days now. I won’t be suffering anymore. Remember the promise that I made to you.
“Please don’t go momma.” Petie wept.
“ Petie, you must be strong, not only for yourself but for me as well. Your poppa and your siblings are going to need you. I know you can do it. I’m counting on you.” Momma crow said.
“I love you so much momma.” Petie cried
“I love you too my Petie boy, don’t forget that I will always love you and remember what I told you, I will always be in your heart. Momma crow said.
Petie continued to cling on to momma crow tightly, then he heard a CAW and looked up at the sky, he could see papa crow and his siblings approaching. He looked down at momma crow, her eyes were closing halfway, she had opened her beak up to get a few more breaths and her wings were extended out to the side of her body. Poppa crow landed with Petie’s siblings and they all huddled around and nuzzled close to momma crow. Poppa crow wept as he gave momma crow beak kisses. The rain continued to pour down as Petie’s family hovered over momma crow and said their final goodbyes to her. Then momma crow looked over at Petie, she winked at him and closed her eyes, then she lay very still.
Poppa crow nudged momma crow her with his beak, but momma crow did not move, she lay very still.
“Papa! Oh poppa is she dead?” Petie asked.
Poppa crow could not find the strength or the words to answer Petie. He shook his head yes then continued to stare down at the ground and weep.

Hours later Poppa crow and the other fledglings returned back to the tree branch. Petie continued to sit next to momma crow and he refused to move. He could hear Poppa crow approaching. Poppa landed on the ground and hopped up to Petie. Poppa crow put his wing around him and gave him a hug.
“Petie, you must come back to the tree branch now.” Poppa crow said.
“No! I don’t want to come back to the tree branch! I don’t want to leave momma! I can’t leave her here poppa, I don’t want anything to happen to her.”
“Petie, your mother is gone, there is nothing you can do, there’s nothing any of us can do.” Poppa crow tried to explain.
“I don’t want to leave her poppa! Just give me some more time with momma alone, please? I need to say a prayer.” Petie asked.
“Well all right, but you must return to the tree branch soon, you’re already soaking wet. I don’t want you getting sick.” Poppa crow said.
Poppa crow flew off and left Petie standing next to momma crow, Petie looked over at his mother then down at the ground. Then he lifted his head and looked up at the sky.
“God, my momma died today. I love her so much. If you can hear me, please help my momma to be put in a safe place, I don’t want to leave her here on the ground, please let somebody find her and put her in a safe place.” Petie asked. He bent over momma crow and kissed her with his beak. Suddenly a dark shadow hovered over him and he looked up very startled and scared. He looked up and a young woman was standing over him and momma crow, she could see that Petie was frightened of her and she stood very still looking at the two of them.
Petie flew a few feet over to the side of the young woman not letting momma crow out of his sight. Then the lady bent down and gently picked up momma crow and carried her off. Petie followed after her. He sat and watched as the lady placed momma crow in a box. Then he flew up to the tree branch and told papa crow and the siblings. They all flew down and landed in the yard and watched from a distance as the lady placed momma crow and the box on the ground. They watched as she dug a small grave, then she placed the box with momma crow in it into the ground then she gently tossed the dirt over the box.
Petie watched the young woman walk away and he flew over and landed next to momma crow’s grave and stared down at it. “Goodbye momma.” He whispered. “I love you.”
Poppa crow flew over and landed next to Petie.
“Mamma is in a safe place now Petie, you no longer have to worry about her.”
“I’m going to miss her so much poppa, what are we going to do without her?” Petie asked.
“It’s going to take some time Petie, but we’ll all be okay.” “Your momma was a very sick crow, she tried to get well but she could not, it was her time to go.”
“I don’t know poppa, I don’t know if I can go on without my momma.” Petie said tearfully.
“Yes you can and you will, it will hurt and you will think of her often but you must also realize that momma wouldn’t want you to stop living your life. She would not be happy to know that you are sad and that you have stopped doing the things that you love because she is not longer with us. We all loved her very much and we will all miss her.” Poppa said.
“God didn’t answer my prayer poppa. Why didn’t God answer my prayer?” Petie asked
“What did you ask God for?” Poppa asked.
“I asked him to make momma well again but she died. Why didn’t he answer my prayer and make her well?” Petie asked.
“Well maybe that is because God loved momma crow also and he was calling her home.” Poppa answered.
“Calling her home? But her home is here, with us.” Petie said.
“No Petie, this was not momma crow’s home, this is not our home either, we are all on loan here on earth. If we live a good life and treat others well, our home is up there.” Poppa said pointing to the sky.
“God loved your momma so much that he felt it was her time to leave here and he wanted her to be with him.” Poppa crow added.
Petie stared at mamma crow’s grave and thought for a moment. Then he looked up at poppa crow. “Well, God did answer my second prayer. I asked him to help us find somebody to find momma crow and put her in a safe place and they did.”
“That’s right they did, and he did answer your prayer, you must always remember that momma crow is in the safest place she could possibly be in.” Poppa crow said.
“Do you think momma is in heaven?” Petie asked.
Just as Petie had asked the question suddenly the gray clouds parted in the sky and the sun came out. The sun shone so brightly it warmed everything up instantly. Petie looked up at the sky in amazement. Then he noticed something else in the sky, in the sky was the most beautiful rainbow that he’d ever seen.
“Look poppa, look!” Petie shouted pointing up to the sky with his wing.
Poppa crow looked up in the sky. “Yes, I see it, it is beautiful.” Poppa crow said.
“Oh Wow! This is the brightest most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen! Just look at all of the pretty colors!” Petie said.
Petie stared at the beautiful rainbow and then he remembered what momma crow had told him and the promise she had made to him about sending him a sign that she was safe and happy in heaven.
Petie looked over at poppa crow. “Poppa I think I’m ready to go back to the tree branch now.”
Poppa crow looked over at Petie curiously wondering why he had changed his mind so quickly.
Petie stared at poppa crow with tears in his eyes. “You’re right papa, momma is happy and she is in heaven.”

JWeepingcrow

This story is dedicated to my beautiful parents, I miss them every day.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Angels

Mother crow perched herself on the tree branch and watched her four fledglings proudly. Time had gone by so quickly. It seemed like just yesterday they had all hatched from the egg and now they were learning to fend for themselves and learning to fly. She loved them all so much and wished that they would all stay under her wing and watch, but she also knew that the time had come to let them try to fly on their own. Petie bird sat next to his mother on the tree branch and watched the rest of his fledgling siblings make their attempts to fly through the air and land. He laughed at them as they took off and seemed like they were having a blast flapping their little wings about and staying in the air, but trouble had hold of them when they tried to land. Mother crow glanced over at Petie and winked at him and nudged him with her beak. Mother crow knew that Petie bird was a special bird from the day that he had hatched from his egg. She could tell that he was going to be different from all her other fledglings.
Days had gone by and Petie would continue to sit on the perch in the tree next to his mother and watch and CAW out to his siblings. Flying was much easier for all of them now and landings were not as trying as they once were. It looked so easy and fun as well. He wanted so badly to join his fledgling siblings. Mother crow looked over at her fledgling son curiously. She knew that he too was wondering why he was so different and could not take part in what his fledgling siblings were experiencing. Mother crow nudged her son with her beak. Petie glanced over at his mother sadly and asked. “Momma, do you think that one day I will learn to fly like the rest of my sibling fledglings?”
Mother crow looked down at the ground, then over at Petie. “Yes Petie, I believe that one day you too will fly.”
“But I want so badly to fly now.” Why can’t I fly like my other fledgling siblings?” Petie asked.
“Because the time for you to fly has not yet arrived.” Mother crow responded.
“But why? It doesn’t seem fair. They are all having so much fun and I sit here day after day and watch them soar through the air and land, I wish so much I could be like the rest of them.” Petie said tearfully.
“You are like the rest of them Petie, just because you cannot fly now does not mean that you will never fly, you must be patient and wait, then one day, your time will come and you will fly.’
“Do you promise momma?” Petie asked excited.
“Yes, I promise you.” Mother crow answered.
Many more days went by and Petie would sit perched next to his parents and watch the siblings even finding food for themselves. He wished that he did not have to depend upon mother and father crow to help him with his meals. Mother crow turned to Petie.
“Petie, your father and I are going to get some food for you, we will return shortly.” She said.
“Okay momma.” Petie answered.
He watched as his parents gently lifted up and took off and soared through the air. It looked so easy and suddenly he felt that now, now was the time that he should try to fly. “Why not?” He asked himself outloud.
“I can do this, I too can do this just like they can.” And with that thought in mind Petie edged his way closer to the end of the branch and waited until a strong breeze came up. Then he gently lifted his wings and let the wind pass underneath them. He stepped a little closer to the end of the branch then backed up. With a running start began to head towards the end of the tree branch. “This is it.” He said to himself.
“Now it is my time to fly!” He hollered out.
He took off, his heart pounding wildly and his wings flapping. At first it seemed so easy and then suddenly while he was in mid air his wings felt very tight and weak. Moments later He found himself falling from the air and instantly taking a nose dive down to the ground. He crashed to the ground with a thud and lay there in the middle of the street. He lay there stunned and hurt, but he felt more hurt that his attempts to fly had failed. He quickly stood to his feet and hobled over to the side of the street. His wing hurt him badly. He cawed out for his mother and father but they did not answer him back.
“Now what am I going to do?” He asked aloud.
“When they come back to the tree branch they will see that I am gone, how will they find me?”
Suddenly he heard a voice, it was a soft soothing voice. He looked up and saw the face of a young woman leaning over him and talking to him. The young woman reached out and scooped Petie up in her arms. She could see that he was very injured and that he was in need of special care. Peties heart began to pound wildly, he was very frightened and afraid of this stranger that had him in her arms. He wished that he had not attempted to fly and that he had stayed on the tree branch.
Then he heard the woman’s soft soothing voice. “don’t you worry little one, I’m not going to hurt you, I’m going to make you well.”
A few days had passed and Petie missed his crow mother and father and siblings but something about the place that he was in seemed very comforting. He felt very loved and taken care of. It actually didn’t seem so bad that he was in a new home. His wing still hurt him badly, but the nice lady that was helping him seemed to know how to make his pain go away.
Days had passed by and Petie was having the time of his life in his new home. His wing was healing up and he felt much stronger every day. He loved it that he could make the woman that cared for him laugh at some of the things that he could do. Like hang upside down on his perch and act crazy, or tease the little dog that she had by nipping at his tail and making him scurry under the couch.
One day the woman took Petie outside to get some fresh air, it was a beautiful day. She set him on top of his cage. Petie basked in the sun and felt the warm rays of the sun beat down on his silky black wings. Then he heard the sound. “CAW! CAW!” He looked up and saw a crow perched on a branch high in the tree in the back yard. He recognized the CAW and looked up. The crow swooped down off of the tree branch and landed in the yard. Petie couldn’t believe his eyes, it was his mother! He danced around on his cage excitedly when he saw her. She flew up and landed on his cage and nuzzled close to him and gave him a kiss with her soft beak.
He kissed her with his beak and nuzzled close to her.
“Oh mamma, I have missed you.” Petie said.
“Your father and I and the rest of the siblings have missed you Petie.” She told him.
“You know that I tried to fly and I failed?” Petie asked.
“Yes, I know, but that’s okay because at least you tried.” Peties mother answered.
“I hurt my wing badly and a nice lady came to my rescue and is taking such good care of me.” Petie told her.
“Yes, I know all about her.” Mother crow answered.
“Are you here to bring me back to the nest?” Petie asked.
No Petie, your father and I left you alone on the branch that day because we felt it was time to let you go, we felt it was time for you to try to fly and go on with your journey.”
“My journey?” Petie asked.
“Yes Petie, everybody has a journey that he or she must take in their life, it’s a journey that is meant just for them. On your journey there will be many things you will accomplish and many people that you will meet as well as other crows. Part of the journey is being part of another ones life. Sometimes we become part of another one’s life because they are in need of help
You see, when you tried to fly and you broke your wing, you answered somebody’s prayer that was in desperate need.” Mother crow told him.
“I still don’t understand.” Petie said.
“Well, you know how bad that you were hurting when you tried to fly and broke your wing?” Mother crow asked.
“Yes. It hurt real bad.” Petie answered.
“Well the lady that rescued you hurt just like you did, only she hurt in her heart. She has suffered from a broken heart for a very long time, and sometimes that is much more painful than any other pain we go through because it is very hard to heal a broken heart.”
Petie stared at his mother not quite understanding what she was saying. Mother crow continued on.
“Remember how sad you were when you could not leave the tree branch and join your other fledgling siblings while they were learning how to fly?”
“Yes mamma, it hurt real bad.” Petie answered.
“Well that’s how that young lady has felt for a long time now, she felt very hurt just like you did and she too felt like she was unable to fly.”
“Huh?” Petie asked
“When you tried to fly and you broke your wing, she found you, you were a gift and a prayer answered for her and you, you have healed her broken heart Petie., by healing her broken heart you helped her to fly once again.”
“How did I do that?” Petie asked.”Because you make her happy, she is the happiest that she has been in a long time, she is happy because you taught her some things about herself that she never even know existed. “She is very happy. And I am looking at you and you seem very happy also.”
“I am momma, she is taking real good care of me.” Petie said.
“You see, this is part of your journey. Do you remember when you sat on the branch and asked me if you would ever learn to fly and I promised you that you would?””Yes.” Petie answered.
“Well I was right and you are flying, you aren’t flying in the way that you wanted to fly, but you are flying. You must always continue to keep on flying and be proud of yourself and what you have learned.”
“That lady is helping to heal your broken wing and you in turn are helping her to heal her broken heart.”
“Wow!” Petie said. “I never thought of it that way.”
“Yes, you are her angel that saved her. She is your angel that saved you. We all have to look out for each other and help one another. You are flying Petie, and you are soaring high above the rest of us.”
“I love you momma.” Petie said
“I love you too, and I am so proud of you.” Mother crow said.
Petie kissed his mother and nuzzled in under her wing. He felt a teardrop run from his eye.
“I don’t want you to go momma.” He said.
“I have to, I have to leave you now Petie.” Mother crow said to her son.
“Will I ever see you again?” Petie asked.
Mother crow laughed. “Yes of course you will, you are my son and I love you.”
“When, when will I see you and papa and my crow brothers and sister again?” Petie asked.
“When the time is right, you will see us and we will all be together again. Right now, you must continue on with your journey, you have a job to finish here and this is where you belong.”
Petie stared at the ground sadly.
“Just remember what I told you, you must always continue to keep on flying and be proud of who you are.” Mother crow said as she reached over and hugged her son with her wing.
“I will momma! I will!” Petie answered.
Petie looked up at the tree above and saw his father and then heard him CAW out for Peties mother. He waved to Petie with his wing and Petie watched as his mother lifted her wings up and took off to join him at the top of the tree. He watched as they flew off together.
Many more days had passed by and Petie felt very strong, he would flap his wings and feel the breeze underneath them and he loved to pretend like he was soaring in the air with his family. He also noticed that he had grown, his wings were larger and his tail feathers had grown out.
Another sunny day had come around and the nice lady took Petie outside and set him on top of his cage. Only this time she did not leave him alone, she stood next to his cage and she looked very sad. She stroked Peties silky black feathers and talked to him.
“Oh little one, you have grown so much and you are a very very strong crow now. I love you and will always love you. I will never forget what you have done for me. I feel very lucky and very blessed to have had you be a part of my life, but now I feel, I feel that it is time for me to let you go. You must go now and join all your other crow friends and go on with your life. I will miss you so.” She said tearfully
Petie was shocked and hurt by what she had said to him. He thought to himself “Why are you doing this? And what if my attempts to fly fail again?” Then he remembered his mother’s last words to him before she flew off, “You must always continue to keep on flying and be proud of who you are.”
A strong wind blew through the trees in the back yard and nearly knocked Petie off of his feet. Then Petie heard the sound, CAW! CAW! He looked up in the tree and saw his mother and father staring down at him. The lady looked up and saw the crows in her tree. And a tear gently fell from her eye. “Go on little one, it’s time for you to go join the others. Go on they are waiting, you can fly now, your wings are very sturdy and strong. I will be okay and I owe it all to you, you have made me a better person and much stronger than I was.”
Petie stared at the woman with a tear in his eye. The love he had for her was very strong yet he knew she was right and that the time had come for both himself and her to let go and carry on.
She bent down and gave Petie a kiss on his wing, “Always remember I love you and I will never ever forget you as long as I live.” She said wiping the tears away from her eyes.
Petie stared at the ground sadly. Then he heard the sound once again CAW! CAW! He looked up at the tree. His heart pounding wildly. He was afraid, he was terrified that if he would try to fly that he would fail once again. The lady spoke softly to him once again.
“It’s okay, you’re going to make it, you don’t need me anymore. Go on, you must try to fly. You will make it. Your wings are very strong.” She said.
Another strong breeze blew through the backyard and Petie lifted his wings and started to flap them. Then suddenly like magic, he lifted himself up in the air and began flying. It was wonderful! He no longer felt weak and his wings felt strong and sturdy. He flew to the top of the tree and met his mother and his father. They both greeted him with crow kisses. The lady stood on the ground and watched with a smile on her face as she watched him reunite with his mother and his father. They all gazed down at her, as if to thank her, then his mother and father let out a CAW and took off. Petie stood on the branch and looked down at the lady, then he let out one final CAW, then gently lifted his wings and began flapping and lifted off of the tree branch and flew off to join his mother and father. It was the saddest day, yet the happiest day of his life. He had to let go of someone that he loved and cared for, he was going to miss her and he would never forget her as well. He was very grateful, he had her in his life as well, for she had mended him and made him much stronger than he ever dreamed he would be, and in return he had helped her to be a stronger happier person. He was happy he was back with his family again, and he could fly, he could fly the way that he had always dreamed of.


Jenny M
Jweepingcrow

Friday, May 16, 2008

True Confessions Of A K-Mart Shopper

“Gotta go to K-Mart, K-Mart in Cincinnati for underwear, Yeah, gotta go to K-Mart, K-Mart in Cincinnati for underwear.”

“Ray, Ray let me give you a little tip, K-Mart sucks!” Excerpt taken from the movie “Rainman”

Well Mr. Cruise, K-Mart might suck to some people but I have to admit that I do shop in there from time to time to save some money. Okay, okay, and I admit, I’m cheap!!! Another great thing about shopping in K-Mart is it’s entertaining as hell! One of the reasons it’s entertaining is because you get many types of people who shop in there, it’s interesting, comical and entertaining.
First of all you get the people that don’t speak a word of English and go up and down the aisles talking in their own foreign language to each other. I have no problem with that at all, but why do these people that speak a different language have to SHOUT??? It's like one person is standing at one end of the store and the other person is at the other end of the store. What? They can't just talk to one another in a normal tone of voice? You can actually be in another aisle across from them and it sounds like they’re standing right next to you holding a conversation. The funny thing about it is they think that they’re talking in a normal tone of voice. Then they wonder why everyone is staring at them in the store?
Next you have the elderly couples, elderly couples are so cute, but get an elderly couple in K-Mart shopping? Forget it, it’s a totally different story! They are anything but cute and they fight and argue like crazy. Example, I ran across an elderly couple in K-Mart who stood there arguing over how much sodium was in a box of Premium Saltine Crackers. They were standing in the middle of the aisle reading the box of crackers with a magnifying glass, and the husband was trying to grab the magnifying glass out of his wife’s hand to show her that the sodium content was wrong and then she got totally pissed off and looked like she was going to swing at his face with her purse. I walked by them and I heard the man say, “this is bullshit, I’m going to go wait in the God Damn car!” Then the lady turns to him and says, “that’s a hell of a good idea, as many times as you’ve marched off to use the restroom while we’ve been here and arguing with me over how much we can save on a box of "Depends," I think going to the car and waiting is an excellent idea for you, maybe now I can get my shopping done!” Ouch! I hope I never get that old!
Next you have the speed demons in the wheelchairs, I always feel so sorry for people in wheelchairs, but these people that are in these wheelchairs go 90 miles an hour up and down the aisles in the store, and they are frickin dangerous as hell! You really have to be careful when you’re turning the corner or honest to God they will knock you right off of your feet and on your ass in a matter of seconds. It makes me wonder how many people have actually ended up in wheelchairs after getting hit by somebody doing 90 miles an hour down a grocery aisle in a wheelchair. Scary.
Then you have the people with children, children running everywhere. Kids are awesome but every time I’m in that store there’s always a kid screaming and crying. It’s usually a kid that’s pissed off and laying flat down on the floor and refusing to move because their mother or dad won’t buy them the toy of their choice. Or it’s a kid that’s getting wailed on by the parents for being a brat. It always leaves me thinking to myself “ wow that could be me trying to deal with that kid, thank God almighty that I don’t have kids!” Whatever the day, or time, there’s always a screaming crying kid. Since there are so many children always crying in the store, I’ve come to the conclusion that people wait to spank their kids until they get inside a K-Mart store.
Then you have the people that look like they’re shopping, but don’t really know what the hell they’re shopping for. They walk around the store slowly pushing their cart and pick every item up off of the shelves, examine it, and then put it back and move on to the next item, this process looks like it goes on for hours and it must take them forever to get their shopping done. I’d truly hate to go Christmas shopping with those people.
Then you have the people that just live for the K-Mart blue light specials, always looking for a bargain. Oh my God!!! These are the people you seriously need to watch out for. They will in fact kill you if you happen to be in their way to get to the blue light special of their choice. The other day I was in there picking up some laundry detergent and I came across two ladies that were hovering over a basket full of the ugliest God awful looking pairs of jeans I had ever seen in my life! It was totally hilarious. They both had the most serious looks on their faces as they were frantically riffling through this basket of jeans. They both were digging into the basket at the same time and they both happened to pick up the same pair of jeans at the same time. It caught my attention and totally stopped me in my tracks and then I had no choice but to stand there and watch the train wreck start to take place. One lady had one leg on the pair of jeans and the other lady had the other leg, and they were both pulling and tugging on the pants to the point where it looked like it was going to rip right up through the crotch and completely tear the jeans in half. I thought to myself, “holy hell, this is some serious shit going on here, how sad is this,?” “I have really got to get a life and shop in some other stores!”
On that same day I passed by their woman’s clothing section of the store, I walked right by a mannequin that they had all dressed up and I actually backed up and did a double take. Seriously? This was the first time I actually felt sorry for a mannequin, because they had the poor thing dressed up like a cheap K-Mart whore. Trust me, she looked like a blue light special hooker! Someone had dressed her in the tackiest outfit, she looked like she had ruby red lipstick on and that she was ready to hit the streets for the night and go work her corner. Hmmm, makes me seriously wonder if T.J Maxx was her pimp???
Ever hear of the saying, “you get what you pay for?” That phrase always runs through my head when I walk by their return service desk and some customer is giving the poor clerk a hard time about having to return a toaster that cost five dollars because it doesn't function like a fifty-dollar toaster that one might purchase from Macy’s. Hello? It’s a toaster, it was five dollars, it’s not going to function like a fifty-dollar toaster for one simple fact, it’s cheap!!! It was five dollars!!! I always feel so sorry for those clerks that have to put up with that crap.
In the end I always walk out of there with a big old smile on my face, just for the plain fact that it’s entertaining as hell in there, and well, okay, and I’m cheap. At least I’m not like some people who walk out of there with smiles on their faces like they got the greatest deals in the world and want to shout it out at the top of their lungs and tell the whole world, “LOOK AT THIS WHOLE SHOPPING CART FILLED WITH CRAP THAT ONLY COST ME FIFTY DOLLARS!!” “YES!”
What I’m about to tell you now is the ultimate K-Mart confession, so here it is. Two months ago when my vacuum broke I had to go buy another one, and where did I head to buy my new vacuum? The big K!!! The really sad thing is the other night I had my T.V. on and here’s a K-mart commercial on, and I turned and looked and here was the exact same vacuum that I had purchased two months ago in the commercial. I’m so embarrassed to admit this but here goes, I saw the vacuum in the commercial and I actually pointed at the T.V. excited as hell and screamed! Jesus, you would have thought that somebody that I knew was on T.V. the way that I was pointing at the T.V. and carrying on about my stupid vacuum that was in the commercial. I came to the conclusion that I’ve been spending way too much time in K-Mart. One of these days I really need to get myself a life, I’ve heard they’re nice to have. : o

Peace out!

Jenn

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Death Of A Pet

Pets are a gift to us all, they do so much for all of us and expect very little in return. They love us unconditionally, they keep us good company when we are lonely, they comfort us in times of sadness or illness. They are a part of us and a member of our family. Sometimes we get wrapped up in our own little world and tend to forget to pay them more attention than we do, or take them for granted that they are with us. We just assume that they are always going to be with us from one day to the next and we never seem to expect that like human beings, that they do get sick and they don't last forever.
Two weeks ago I had to put my parakeet that I dearly loved to sleep. He was truly a joy to have around. He was a talker. He was a total riot! He even picked up a few cuss words from me around football season of this year. When I heard him say "Jesus Christ." I knew it was time to watch my language. I also called him my sound effects bird. He would mimic the noise of the typing keyboard as I typed at my computer, and in addition to that, he made the noise of the microwave, the alarm clock, he sneezed, he coughed and he even picked up my laugh. One day I noticed that he was having problems with one of his little legs and he was dragging it. I quickly made him an appointment at the vet. I breathed a sigh of relief when the vet told me that he didn't think there were any broken bones and that he thought it was just a sprain. I took him back home and he started to get better. About two weeks after that he started to drag his little leg again, this time it was much worse and to the point that he couldn't even sit on his favorite swing. He had stopped talking and whistling and just hung out in the corner of his cage. I immediately took him back to the vet. When I left my apartment to take him to the vet, I had this sick feeling inside that I would not be returning back home with him.
My vet examined him and told me that he had a tumor. I asked her to take an x-ray just to make sure, as I was hanging on to the hopes that there was something wrong with his little leg, and I was prepared to go to any lengths of expense to have her fix whatever was wrong with his leg. She came back in the room with the x-ray and gave me the bad news and showed me his x-ray where the tumor was located. I immediately started to tear up and my heart fell down to the floor. "How much time does he have?" I asked.
"Less than a month." She told me.
I sat in the chair and just looked at her, my eyes welling up with more tears at that point.
"I can send you home with some pain medication to help make him more comfortable and you can have some more time with him? She suggested. "Or you can put him to sleep."
She then told me about the process of how they would put him to sleep.
"I'll give you some time to think about it." She said as she walked out of the examination room.
I sat back in the chair and stared into the cage and wept. My poor sick bird staring at me through the bars of his cage. I sat there for ten minutes and came to the decision that I would just bring him back home with me. He stared at me with sad eyes and tried to walk around the bottom of his cage. His little leg flopping all over the place. It was then that I thought to myself, "how selfish of me, how could I think that by taking him back home with me that it was going to benefit him and make him feel better, I'm doing this for my benefit so that I will feel better and not for him, this is so unfair for me to even think this way." "I don't want to let him go, but he is so sick and I know I don't want him to suffer anymore." "I have to set him free, I have to let him go."
The door to the examination room opened up and the vet came in to check on me to see what my decision was. I told her that I wanted to take him home, but I also did not want him to suffer anymore. She shook her head yes. I then told her that I wanted to have him put to sleep.
"I think you're making the right decision." She said. "Why don't you spend some more time with him?" She said.
I couldn't even talk at that point, she left the room once again and I got up out of the chair and stood in front of his cage looking in at him and crying my eyes out. I started talking to him.
"I'm sorry Oreo." "I'm going to miss you, but I need to let you go now." "Thank you for being my bird and my friend." "I'm going to miss you so much." He just stared at me with his little eyes, then he got up from the corner of his cage and hobbled to the very front of his cage where I was standing. I leaned my head in closer to him. He leaned forward and put his beak through the bars of the cage and gave me a kiss. It was like he had understood every word that I had just said to him and he knew what was happening. The door to the examination room opened up, it was the vet. I told her to take him, that I had to leave right that second because if I stuck around there I wouldn't be able to walk out of there. She had another cage that she had brought in to put him in. I took him out of the cage and gave him one last kiss goodbye. He let out a little squawk then gave me another peck on my lips as if to say, "goodbye," "thank you for being my owner and taking good care of me, and thank you for setting me free."
It's true what they say, "you don't know what you've got until it's gone." I miss him so much, he was a little bird but the amount of love he gave was more than you could ever imagine. He made me so happy and made me laugh when I was feeling low, he was a true friend that I will forever miss, and I'm so grateful that he belonged to me and he was a part of my life.
The littliest things in life can make the biggest difference.
Jenn

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Reality Television

This is my first entry in my blog. I don't know about anyone else but I love these reality t.v. shows that are on. I have my personal favorites, like Criss Angel Mindfreak, Paranormal State, Intervention, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, Bret Michael's Rock Of Love. Then there are the other reality shows where I just can't seem to understand why I like them. Is it because I don't have enough stinkin drama in my own life that I have to dig into somebody elses drama??? Who knows, but tonight I heard one of the funniest lines of all time when i was watching one of the reality shows I had on. I won't mention which show but I will only quote the line from the show that one person said to another person on the show. It went something like this.

Here is the scene:

Two girls sitting in a room talking, the first girl turns to the second girl.

First girl: What are you going to do?

Second girl: I don't know, but I'll be damned if I'm going to live in hell!


ROTFLMAO! Yeah, now that really makes sense! "I'll be damned if I'm going to live in hell!"