Visitor from Heaven

As I fumbled around in the kitchen at 5am, after a weirdly sleepless night, this guy's persistent chirping drew me to the kitchen window.  A male cardinal.  Apparently he makes that metallic and high-pitched repetitive sound when he's happy, trusting, comfortable.  I love seeing this huge red bird. Usually he's on the ground and silent but this morning he was swinging on the feeder.  His scarlet wings and that crazy crest always shocks my eye.  Beneath hm rests the heart-shaped rock my husband dug up while excavating our property last year.  "We have to position this rock right here.  Right where we can see it from the kitchen window."  My husband who looks like Grizzly Adams but is really more of a Romeo in disguise, carefully placed the rock amongst the other stones that define our yard from the woods.  A winged, angelic cherub reading what I can only imagine is the Bible, perches in peace on a rock nearby.  Hearts and cherubs, and a swinging, singing bird the color of a summertime strawberry rip for the pickin.  The picture composed itself.  I just answered the cardinal's call.  UsUrnsOnline.com tells me "When a cardinal appears it your yard, it's a visitor from heaven."  They offer this information in the context of selling urns.  Urns, of course, that have cardinal images on them.  At times it seems everything is commercialized and yet, perhaps these birds are little messengers between life and death.  Have faith, love, trust in life.  Could the message be any more clear?  And God seems to be in that message somewhere.  Reassuring after a restless night tossing and turning wondering about my friend who drinks so much it makes me sad, the to-do list that seems never ending and my husband's inflamed hand that requires medical intervention.  I'm looking forward to dreams of rock solid hearts grounded in the earth while cardinals the color of passion and blood swing from my feeder tonight.  Cherubs reading the Bible with gentle flapping wings will hopefully lull me into a deep and restful sleep.