Ever since Jen & Steve gave me a bird feeder several years ago, I have been faithfully feeding the birds--sparrows, doves, house finches, magpies, robins, quail, pigeons, and I even spotted a hawk in my trees on several occasions. However, last summer I spotted a most unusual guest at my bird feeder. Yes, a little blue parakeet had started dining regularly in my yard. This gave me incentive to keep feeding the birds even though it was summer because I knew that this parakeet was probably someone's pet that had flown away and he would not know how to find bugs and seeds on his own.
When winter came, I got worried. I had stopped seeing him, and I didn't know if he had flown south with some doves, if a cat had eaten him, or if he had frozen to death. 
Then miracle of miracles, just before I went to the temple today, I spied my little friend in the Catalpa tree. He was still alive! He had found his way back to my yard. I was overjoyed. I ran and got two neighbors who were in my front yard so they could see him. He even stayed there while I went in the house to get my camera-- remaining calmly perched while I took about a dozen shots of him. 
Then after eating his fill at my bird feeder, my little friend calmly just fell asleep. . . . . and that is just what my dear friend Rich Holdaway did today. He came home from seeing a doctor, fell asleep in their car, but unlike my little feathered friend, Rich never woke up. Although Rich had been deathly ill with MRSA this fall, he had been feeling quite good recently. Rich had a marvelous idea to remodel their house so he came up with some incredible plans. Workmen have been working on it for several months. It is still not finished.
Randy died before he could see his Riviera repainted with a glorious new paint job, and Rich died before he could see his house remodeled.
Rich and Maureen both had slight back aches last night, but Rich woke up with a terrible pain in his back this morning. Maureen took him to see a doctor. He was given pain killers and sent home. Rich was too tired to get out of their car and when Maureen went back out to try to get him into the house, he was gone. . . . Last year a light went out when Randy left us and the world is noticeably less bright now that Rich is gone, too.
Richard, his brother Jon, and I did everything together as we grew up in Price. It seems that I have always known him. Because of Rich, I met Randy-- the love of my life and married him.
Randy was my best friend and dear husband. Rich was also a dear friend. Goodbye, to another dear eternal friend . . . .
7 comments:
I am so very sorry. After Tricia told me I could almost see Randy with a huge smile on his face. I'll bet that is just how he looked.
The little bird is lovely. How wonderful he has learned how to fly south and back again. I wonder if it's a male or female and if it will mate. Keep us posted
Bonnie, after we talked, I realized the irony in the fact that Trish, Bentley, Jen, the girls and I visited my Mom and Dad's gravesite yesterday. I don't think we've been for close to a year - yet we went yesterday. There was another funeral in progress and Taps was played. I'm with Lynne. I can see my dad with a huge smile and open arms as Rich and Dad start to raise a little hell in heaven!! We love you!!
What a beautiful analogy. I'm sorry that you lost such a great friend. Rich was a great guy and my prayers are with his family.
Dear Bonnie, I wrote a lengthy answer to your blog and tried to send it and it disappeard into cyberspace.....! I kept entering the password and it wouldn/t take it....So I just want to say that I have fond memories of helping my grandmother raise birds as I grew up and I am deeply saddened to hear about Richard's sudden death. I shall always remember him (and his family) as wonderful life-long friends growing up in Price, Utah and the world has now lost one of the sensitive artists who brought joy and beauty to a darkened world.....Love, Your Sis. Charlene
To answer Lynne's question: You can tell the gender of a parakeet by looking at the color around his nostrils or nose which is just above his beak. Females have brown or pink; males have blue. My backyard buddy is a male because he has blue above his beak.
Isn't that neat? Humans have instinctively chosen blue for boys and pink for girls--and so has Mother Nature.
I love the picture! I bet he was accepted with loving arms by Randy and a smile across his face.
I'm sorry.
Ethan fell asleep tonight with their picture on his bed, you know the one with the umbrella and all the other nonsense? That's the one. He smiled when I showed it to him again, and explained what great friends they are. He said he bets Grampa is happy to have his friend, becaue you never know, Heaven might be boring...
Not anymore, I said.
love you
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