Crash Landing

The windows of our home are apparently magnets for birds; the number of birds that crash into our windows is truly astounding.  Thankfully most of the birds are able to recover from their perilous flights, but there are a few that aren't so lucky.

While Alexa was eating a bowl of cereal before swimming lessons this morning, sure enough, a bird flew straight into the bank of windows by the kitchen table.  It was obvious from the onset that this one was not going to recover, so Damon and I immediately jumped into action, both desperate to shield Alexa from another experience with death.  She asked if the bird was going to die, but we both reassured her that he would probably get back up and fly away after bonking his head.  Meanwhile, I took her to brush her teeth while Damon went out back to make sure the bird "flew" away.  Needless to say, Alexa was thrilled to see the bird had recovered and flown away safely.

Ever since Alexa was forced to deal with topics well-beyond her years, Damon and I have been extremely protective, probably a bit overly-protective, to make sure she does not have to hear about death and dying.  The other day she told me she was "playing dead," and I quickly let her know that games about death were not allowed in our house, as death is not a topic about which to joke.  Yes, I probably overreacted, but it is a tough balance to find with this topic.  The wounds of Granty's death are very raw with all of us.  Besides, I'm okay if she's a little sheltered for awhile... :)

The first meeting in an all-too-short courtship.