About "Perched in Our Heart"

My story began in my own backyard where a mother hummingbird built her nest on a heart-shaped chime hanging from our back porch. During this time our family had a dear friend, John, come to visit us. He was the one to first notice the nest, as he was looking out our backyard. Our time with John was incredibly special and little did we know, our feathered friend would one day become the subject for my story, adding more meaning to both our treasured visitors.

Our family thoroughly enjoyed Mama Hummingbird as she built her nest, anticipating the laying of her eggs, observing her interactions with her baby bird, and seeing her intentional care for her little one. This real experience occurred during the spring of 2021. 

Arizona weather is a great place to live but that spring, it grew incredibly hot, and our baby bird was unable to sustain the rigors of the climbing temperatures. We had grown attached to our little bird family and had even named our mama bird and her baby because they had become a part of our family. It was surprising how crushed we felt when the baby bird died. 

Nature can teach us about loss and remind us of our own personal grief experiences.