His eye is on the Sparrow

I sing because I'm happy

I sing because I'm free

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me

I have a pet sparrow. I began with two and am now down to one, the last is simply named Sweet Bird. The first died last year, his name was Squeak.

The year of 2000 my sons brought me a baby bird from a nest that had fallen out into the yard. I didn't know if I could keep this little life alive but under the plea from my boys, "Please try, Mom!" I gave it my best shot. I placed it under a light keeping it 98 degrees which is what a baby chick likes to live at and fed it wheat bread soaked in milk every two hours day and night for two weeks. Needless to say, it thrived...and it knew me to be its mother. There was no way I could set this little bird loose, first of all the cats would have made him a tasty treat, second of all, he wouldn't know what to do out there without someone hand-feeding him all the time.
Squeak was a wonderful pet, and if you think a sparrow does not know anything, he was out to prove you otherwise. He listened to me all the time and spent quite a few hours on my shoulder. He learned that when I said "goodbye" it meant that I was going to hang up our phone that is a push button and it beeps, so Squeak learned to "beep" when I said goodbye. He learned that when we had company, the dogs barked so he would look out the window and if he saw something unusual he would bark to warn me that something was amiss. It was hard to clarify though, because sometimes he just barked because he liked to.
Squeak died last fall of a heart attack. I know it was a heart attack because he started screeching and fell into the bottom of his cage. I picked him up and he kept clutching his chest with his beak and yelling at me to "Do something!" in bird of course...
And of course, there was nothing I could do, so he died in my hand.
Poor little squeak. He lived 5 years. I suppose that 5 years is pretty common with sparrows.

Now I have the other sparrow that I got the year after Squeak in exactly the same way. Squeak never liked him much, he was the baby, an intruder and not on squeak's list of favorite things to think about. Besides, he took time from me, you know.
Sweet Bird never learned to bark or beep. He never rode on my shoulder like Squeak. Sweet Bird did exatly what his name implies...he sat around in his cage being a sweet bird that simply talked to me when I talked to him. He still does.
Lately though, sweet bird doesn't sing much and I've noticed that his body heaves at a regular rythm, like his heart is struggling to pump blood. He seems to sleep a lot as well. I spend lots of my time walking by the cage and talking to Sweet Bird. He always looks at me and then closes his eyes in pleasure because I have taken time out of my busy day to visit. His face is turning grey all of a sudden, I didn't know they did that.
I'm beginning to see the writing on the wall, and I am sad.

I know that God is watching. I know He sees this sparrow and the love we share. What a silly little thing to most people. Not to me. To me, it shows one more way of loving this creation that God gave me...no, that God gave us all. One more way of making amends with something that has gone awry in the world. I am not perfect, but I love the best way I can. And Sweet Bird does too.

Thank you God for creating the sparrow. Thank you for their song and companionship even on dark winter days. Thank you for their sunny, cheery dispositions and their loyalty to those they care about.
If only we could be so loyal ourselves.

Why should I feel discouraged

Why should the shadows come

Why should my heart feel lonely

And long for heaven and home

When Jesus is my portion

A constant friend is He

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches over me

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me

I sing because I'm happy

I sing because I'm free

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? But your Father knows when any one of them falls to the ground. Even the hairs on your head are counted.

You are worth much more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:20-31

And to think, I would be happy if I were worth only one.