Sister Rain’s Note:
In 2015, I published 9.5 parts of “Piper & Me: A Love Story.” Beginning in March 2024 I reposted them weekly. I have since written new chapters and will continue to do so. If you would like to read any of the parts, type “Piper & Me” in the search bar.
I don’t know what would have happened to me without Piper. I feel bad sometimes about the effect my vision loss had on him, but I am pretty sure he had been through far worse. He is a survivor. I often imagine what the first six years of his life were like before he adopted us. At the very least, I know there was a lot of upheaval. We just celebrated his 12th Gotcha Day, he is 18 now. Like me, there is a definitive line in his history, the before and after. In my case, the contrast between the two comes up less frequently than it did in the early years of my visual impairment, but it is still ever present in my soul. For his sake, and selfishly mine, I hope Piper’s memories begin with me in his forever home. I barely recall what it is like to see properly but it is most assuredly impossible to rewind to life before Piper was in it.
I often wish I could see his vibrant, beautiful coloring. I am able to conjure it up a bit in my mind’s eye, but not very well. The other parts of him, however, I have not missed out on due to my sight. He is spunky, he is playful, he is naughty at times in all the best ways, he is cuddly, he is independent, he is silly, he is happy and healthy. He is spoiled. He is loved.
I will spend the rest of our lives being grateful that Piper entered into mine 13 weeks before waking up blind. He gave me purpose when my career and world as I knew it came to a grinding halt. Because of him, I am happy and healthy too.
Never say never but this will bring to a close the Piper & Me: A Love Story series. Piper will, of course, continue to be a feature of Sister Rain as both the love and the story continue. But now you know how it all started and what a critical role Piper played in my recovery. “Hero” is a big word for such a little guy. At the end of the day, he is just a bird, standing on a girl’s hand. He doesn’t have to ask her to love him nor vice versa. She is his mom and he is her boy.
#sisterrain #birdmom #adoptdontshop #parrotsofinstagram #conure #ahelpingwingparrotrescue #piper #piperandmealovestory
