Be the Prayer

Be the Prayer
     I entered the barn yesterday to find a fledgling barn swallow sitting on the concrete floor next to the stacks of hay bales. Thankfully Roger and Tilly (our barn cats) were no where to be seen. All the relatives of this baby hurriedly flew in and out, whizzing by me, loudly asking me not to hurt their child. I knew I couldn’t put her back into the nest…it was way too high for me to reach. I couldn’t leave her there to be the next snack for Roger and Tilly. I didn’t know what to do…so I simply took a breath and asked for help. I spotted an old shirt and carefully arranged it nest-like in the wash stall brush rack. It was high enough that the cats couldn’t reach, and perhaps the baby's parents could still feed her. I calmly and gently picked up the little beauty and held her for a moment. She quietly looked into my eyes and I was mesmerized. She chose to trust me. Her body was the size of a ping pong ball. She displayed iridescent blue and black feathers interspersed with sprigs of fluff that are only found on baby birds. Her beak still looked like lips because of her immaturity. She was so cute I could hardly stand it. I spoke softly to her, “I’m going to help you.” I placed her into the shirt-nest and watched her settle in like it was home. Letting out a huge sigh, I stepped back and asked all of her worried relatives to please come and feed her here so she could perhaps try again the next day. Not knowing what else to do, I went in the house. I must have checked on her six times over the rest of the evening. I had done my part. The next day, the baby was gone. I do not know if she ended up in the belly of our cats. I hope that she tried her wings again after a night of rest and made it, gracing the world with her beauty and gentleness.
     This incident reminded me of a something I recently read about “being the prayer,” rather than just occasionally saying one. I realized that other species know how to be the prayer, to flow with nature’s rhythms instead of struggling against them like we humans often do as we rush through our lives. Prey animals in particular must be present every moment or they become someone’s lunch.
     Sometimes I feel that my life is small, filled with small acts. How is saving the life of one tiny, seemingly insignificant barn swallow impacting the larger scheme of the world? I must believe that it is. One compassionate act toward another holds a vibration. This vibration is felt by another and can’t help but be repeated, to be mirrored. Compassion, gratitude, and love, I believe, have a much larger ripple effect than their opposites of indifference and fear. I believe that in small acts of compassion live a powerful message, a song, a prayer that really does matter. Next time you see an animal in the road who has lost her life, please say a prayer for her. If a bird hits your living room window and is stunned, say a prayer for her too. Hold her in your hands with compassion. These “small” acts will be felt by others because they really do matter. Notice. Be present. Show gratitude. Be the prayer.