Categories: uncategorized
Date: 16 January 2006 08:52:59
One of my regular walks takes me past a large reservoir. One morning as I walked beside the high fence surrounding the water there was something moving on the ground ahead that caught my eye. As I got closer this dark shape got more agitated and was moving back and forth hitting the fence. I finally realised it was a bird, a black shag (cormorant) actually, and it was very troubled.... the poor thing was tangled up in fishing line and even had a big 5 oz. sinker hanging from its neck.
So my peaceful walk was transformed to “the hermit to the rescue.”
After a bit of chasing, and a fair few lost feathers, I was able to catch the tangled bird. It had quite a frightening long beak with an evil looking hook at the tip and this bird didn't like me one bit, evidenced by the fact it kept trying to bite me.
It was very wild...why couldn't it understand that I was trying to help?
Holding it's beak shut, I was able to unwind the fishing line that was around it's neck and legs and one wing and I finally freed it.
Let go, the bird flew away to a new life without even a look back. Will it remember not all humans are bad?
On reflection, this said something to me about life and how we are called to help people. There are many whose lives are bound up in a tangled mess and some carry huge burdens. When you encounter them and try to help, they don't trust you or understand what you are trying to do. But you still try and if, with God's help, you are able to ease someone's burden you have the hope (as with me and the shag) that they will remember that not all people are bad.