Chapter Ten

Kate awoke just before dawn on Saturday morning and decided to head out back for her morning prayers and meditation. It was the perfect time of year to envelop herself in God’s creation. She wrapped herself in her robe, gathered her coffee mug and Bible, and went out the sliding-glass door.

Dew clung to the top of the black wrought-iron chairs. Kate wiped one down with a corner of her robe and sat down, inhaling the delicious aroma of her coffee. A sense of gratitude for the bounty God provided welled up within her, and she smiled to herself.

Touched and feeling alive, she took time to soak in the view of their maple tree and the tree-covered hills behind her yard. The darkness had lifted, and the bright promise of the new day gave an almost magical distinction to the redbuds and giant tulip poplars. Kate racked her brain to recall a poem or snippet of literature that might do it justice. Words seemed inadequate. Perhaps a psalm or hymn?

And then it came. Sweeter than the most artfully crafted prose or poem, an inspired gift from God to those he loved. Kate listened as his creation sang his praises. “Morning song” she’d heard it called, when the birds awoke to serenade one another and welcome the new day.

It began with a trill, a distant call. Soon an answer rang back from across the hills. With every moment, more voices rose and joined the cardinals, bluebirds, mourning doves, and even those nondescript varieties of wrens, sparrows, and warblers. Kate smiled, remembering that Bonnie called them LBBs: little brown birds.

Each new and different song lifted Kate’s heart and gave her cause for praise. The simple beauty of their existence filled her with awe. She marveled that she hadn’t stopped to immerse herself in this impressive experience more often since coming to this part of the country. If she asked, Bonnie would tell her in detail why this musical morning ritual happened and what purpose it served, but for this moment, Kate just wanted to enjoy it.

Reading the Scripture for the day, Kate was reminded of how God’s world was so full of wonder and beauty. But so often his people got caught up in the bustling business of their own worlds that they didn’t take time to savor the goodness of simple things, like the changing of the seasons, the splendor of a sunrise, or the song of the birds. She folded her hands in her lap and closed her eyes.

She wished now that she had paid more attention to the birds and wildlife in and around Copper Mill. She, like most people, enjoyed her surroundings but only really focused on them when something special caught her attention. She’d admire a deer by the side of the road or a flock of geese flying overhead or a pair of cardinals fussing.

She scanned the hills, trying to pick out any birds among the trees. For just a second she felt alone in the world, just her and God and the birds.

Her thoughts went to Artie Best. She just didn’t know what to make of him. He loved his birds, went to great pains to maintain his home and contributed to the community by teaching about the birds of the area. Yet he clearly didn’t enjoy people—with the exception of the Howells—cared little for his personal appearance, and wanted to shut Sparrowpalooza bird-watchers off from his property.

Kate adjusted the Bible in her lap and turned to the concordance. She wanted to find a verse about how much God valued each of his children but found herself searching the verses that contained the word sparrow. She found what she was looking for—the perfect verse to encompass both Bonnie’s protective instincts about the missing birds and the lesson that Artie Best, of all people, could stand to be reminded of.

She slipped her feet out of her slippers, then propped them up on the waterproof cushion on the chair across from her. She let her outstretched legs create a makeshift table for her Bible. She flipped the pages to the book of Matthew, the tenth chapter. Then she moved her fingertip down to the verses listed in the concordance: twenty-nine through thirty-one.

She took in a deep breath of morning air, then read out loud, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

She closed the book and turned her thoughts again to the lonesome bird wrangler. Many people might say he was as common as a sparrow, nothing special to the eye, just a simple fellow. And yet, the Father had his eyes on Artie Best, just as he did on Kate and Paul, and their children, grandchildren, and everyone.

Artie Best was worth more than many sparrows, and Kate committed to herself to keeping that in mind in all their interactions. She concluded that thought with a prayer for Bonnie’s quest to find out why the birds had disappeared, and then paused for a moment of gratitude.

Not long after that, when Kate had finished her quiet time, she heard the sliding-glass door open. According to Bonnie, if the early bird catches the worm, then the dedicated birder had to be even earlier to catch sight of the bird. So Kate had invited Bonnie to come over for breakfast so they could get an early start on the day.

“Good morning.” Bonnie stepped outside wearing a long-sleeved pink and lavender tunic over sage green jogging pants. She had on thick ankle socks and traction-soled, white athletic shoes. “May I join you, or do you want some peace and quiet?”

“Oh, I have peace to spare out here this morning.” Kate put her feet down and into her slippers. “But I’m finding out that this time of day isn’t really all that quiet—if you take the time to listen.”

“It’s pretty clear that there’s no bird shortage here in town.” Bonnie took the seat across from Kate and smiled warmly. She shut her eyes, and her smile faded as she added, “Yet.”

“Yet?” Kate sat up. “Bonnie, you don’t think...?”

“Until we know what’s going on, we can’t assume it will only affect the birds along Pine Ridge Road and Best Acres Line Road.” Bonnie lowered her steady gaze to Kate’s. “If it’s an illness, it could just be a matter of time until it spreads. Or if the hand of man is to blame, well, anything is possible.”

Kate nodded. “I’d thought of that. How will we know what the cause is?”

Bonnie stared out at the hillside behind the house and exhaled thoughtfully. “I actually don’t think we’re looking at a disease or parasites or anything like that, since we haven’t encountered dead birds. We also haven’t found any feathers in the brush when we went exploring along the road, or at Artie’s yesterday.”

“So if the birds were ill, they might be losing their feathers?” Kate shook her head. “I didn’t even look for feathers.”

“That’s all right, dear. If I’d seen any, I’d have alerted you to keep a sharp eye out for more.” Bonnie put her hand on Kate’s knee and laughed. “So do you make a habit of getting up early to greet the morning?”

“Just drawing a little inspiration to fortify me throughout the day.” Kate showed Bonnie her Bible. “I don’t usually come out here for my devotions, but with the birds, and you and Artie on my heart, it seemed the right place for some prayer and time in the Word.”

Bonnie gave her hand a squeeze and sighed. “I’m ashamed to admit this, but while you’ve spent time in your day in quiet contemplation, I can’t seem to get my mind on anything more substantial than this.” She tapped her finger on the side of her head.

“Your own thoughts?”

“My hair!”

“Your hair?” Kate scooted to the edge of her chair and gave the tousled waves of platinum-blonde hair a closer look.

“What with the trip and all the time outdoors yesterday, it’s a mess. I keep worrying what people will think of me in your church tomorrow. I want you to be proud of your old teacher. I know we were planning on bird-watching this morning, but...”

“I’m proud of you no matter what, Bonnie.” Kate stood and bent down to give her friend a big hug. “But if it would make you feel better to get your hair done, then I know just the place.”