My Cardinal

I'm going to create a little "sidebar" here and tell you about my cardinal.  There's the Kentucky cardinal, the state bird and there's the U of L cardinal, the rip roarin' entertainer for the university, and there's my cardinal, HC Baker.

After spending the first night at home without HC Baker, I walked outside in the early morning.  I stood in our backyard thinking about all that had happened and what was to come all the while desperate to talk to HC.  (I still do that.  I think of something or hear something and immediately think...I've got to tell HC about that.)  A beautiful cardinal came to the lowest branch of the tree where I was standing.  I didn't think anything about it until the next time I looked, and it was still there.  Curious.  I was thinking and praying and it was still there.  I decided it was HC so I began to talk to it.  Over the next few weeks each time I went outside, the cardinal was there.  I told very few people about this and continued to enjoy these moments.

Fast forward about 6 weeks - I had shared the cardinal story with my co-worker, Gayle.  One day, she and I were in our supervisor's office experiencing a thorough "dressing down" and I particularly was incredibly frustrated.  Gayle realized my anger threshold was just about at it's limit.  We both could look past our supervisor to the outside.  Just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, Gayle touched my leg and with her eyes directed my attention to a bush outside the office window.  There sat my cardinal.  We had never seen a cardinal at our work before but there it was.  I immediately took a deep breath and the uncomfortable situation came to a close.  Afterward, back in our office, Gayle just looked at me and said HC was looking out for me.  (Let me also share with you the next day, another bad situation developed with me alone in the supervisor's office, and NO cardinal.  I tendered my resignation that afternoon and left the building never to return.  For this Gayle said HC knew you'd had enough.)

Fast forward about a year - I have begun to make my home in northern Michigan where HC and I had a beautiful little lake cottage for a number of years.  Since this area would be my permanent residence, I needed to find a larger home.  With family and friends visiting, 2 bedrooms and 1 bath is just not large enough!  I looked at several houses and one in particular kept calling my name.  The third time I "looked" at it, it was a beautiful late spring day and the leaves on the trees up north were just beginning to burst open.  As I stood on the front porch looking out to the lake, I saw a white garage at the bottom of the hill.  Where many garages would have that big wooden square to support a basketball goal, this garage had a big wooden square with a huge red cardinal painted on it.  I bought the house!      

I have continued to encounter cardinals when least expected and continue to believe it is HC Baker.