I have had an Instagram account since early 2018, but I never posted until I relaunched Sister Rain in 2024. Now every day I share a teaser for the story I have published only moments before on SisterRain.net.
I don’t follow a lot of people on Instagram who, like me, share their life with a bird, but I do love The Green Bird Brigade, a flock of nine and their incredibly caring and knowledgeable mom, Jen.
In April, Jen shared that one of her feathered family, Aurora, was ill. Jen generously continued to update us via social media until the heartbreaking news that Aurora had passed away in her arms.
I was genuinely devastated for this woman I have never met. She lives in Texas, I am in Pennsylvania, yet this hit as close to home for me as anything could. I was transported back in time to when our first bird, Cato, a lutino cockatiel, became sick with cancer, passing away quickly after the diagnosis. Then there was the unthinkable thought of losing Piper. Truth be told, from time to time I do fleetingly imagine having to say goodbye to Piper. It is strictly a prepatory act for a day that, please God, will not arrive for a very long time. We all know, though, don’t we, that this is ridiculous thinking. You cannot ready yourself for losing someone you love.
Jen is an exemplary bird mom and I grieved for her as well as Aurora. In a world where just about everyone has a dog or cat, I feel great community in “knowing” a few other humans who have gone the way of the feather.
The loss of Aurora is a sledgehammer hit, a call to action. There is only this moment with Piper.
Thank you, Aurora, and thank you, Jen. xo
You can follow Jen and her flock on IG at @the_green_bird_brigade.
#SisterRain #ALittleSightALotOfHeart #Piper #BirdMom #Conure #Parrot #AdoptDontShop #AHelpingWingParrotRescue #TheGreenBirdBrigade
