Edgar the Crow

“Let birds fly … across the vault of the sky.” Genesis 1:20b (NIV) One day when I was walking in the woods, I found a tiny baby bird hopping around in the grass. I gently picked him up and looked at the huge oak tree that appeared to have a bird’s nest near the top. There was no way to get the baby bird back to its nest, so I took it home with me. The bird was old enough to have black pin feathers and I thought it might be a raven, so I named him Edgar after Edgar Allen Poe. I bought a cage and toys and birdseed. He would sit on my finger and eat out of my hand. He would chirp when I came into the room. I discovered he was not a raven—he was a crow, but I continued to call him “Edgar,” after Mr. Poe’s raven. On sunny days, I would carry his cage out to the patio so he could enjoy the sunshine and fresh air and the songs of the other birds. He had more than tripled in size and was a full-grown crow now. One day when I went out to feed him, he was out of his cage—he had pushed the door on his cage open. He was sitting on the patio table. I put my hand out and he hopped onto my finger. I could put him back into the cage and keep him, but he needed to be with other birds. He needed his freedom, and he needed a mate. “Goodbye, Edgar, it was nice knowing you,” I said, and brushed him off my finger. He took flight and flew to the top of a pine tree. He hesitated only a few seconds and then fl ew away. I turned my back on him. I didn’t want him to see the tears in my eyes. Thank you, Lord, for all the wonderful creatures you made, especially birds who fly across the heavens like angels. – Crying Wind   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org