Be like the bird that, pausing in her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings. ~Victor Hugo
Cardinal
Reading: On the eve of the birth of the baby Jesus, a plain brown bird was watching from her nest in the stable. During the night, the stable was very cold, and Mary and Joseph were worried for their newborn baby. Joseph lit a small fire, but it was not enough to keep the baby warm. The bird flew down to the fire and flapped his wings to fan the fire all night long. His feathers became very hot and turned a brilliant shade of red and have been red ever since to show his dedication and love.
I wrote this out just as it was on the card, so if you are wondering how the bird changed genders within this story, you are not the only one! My daughter is quite familiar with female cardinals not being as brightly colored as their male counterparts, so the bird had to be a male. Why they began the story with a female bird was probably because we would associate females as being on the nest and having motherly instincts. I read it as it is because this little error is remembered when from one Christmas to the next. It is one of our traditions to point it out.
I wrote this out just as it was on the card, so if you are wondering how the bird changed genders within this story, you are not the only one! My daughter is quite familiar with female cardinals not being as brightly colored as their male counterparts, so the bird had to be a male. Why they began the story with a female bird was probably because we would associate females as being on the nest and having motherly instincts. I read it as it is because this little error is remembered when from one Christmas to the next. It is one of our traditions to point it out.
~ My Lord, even our errors can become a tradition, if only to remind ourselves we are not perfect as You are. ~
