The Robin Story
“A tale of a little bird”
A robin lived in her nest with her family.
There was another robin in a near by tree who sang for her all day. She could hear him all the time, the beautiful tones of his voice, but she was small in size, and weak, so she could not lean over the edge of the nest and see him clearly.
One day her nest was shot down by some passing hunters. She fell on the ground. She could not move. She had not yet learned to fly.
One of the boys in the crowd picked her up and carried her home.
He was a funny creature, he fed her well, cleaned her cage and then when his friends came to meet him, he showed her off.
One day, the lock of the cage became loose, the robin pushed against it and it opened. She hopped over to the window and tried to fly out. She was much healthier now and desperate to escape. It was not an easy flight; it was a new place, no one to help her either. Hopping and flying in turns, she made slow progress to a near by park. There she met a hawk. The hawk took pity on the poor little robin, and took her under his wing.
That summer, in the company of her new found support, the Robin learned to open her wings and soar as high as she was able to - Finally, she was learning to look after herself. The time came for the hawk and others to migrate over to their winter homes. When the Robin was asked, she refused - she wanted to go back to where she had come from - but she did not remember it much.
Slowly, but surely, the Robin managed to fly over to a meadow that she vaguely remembered as being very familiar. She was so tired; she had come a long way.
She wanted to rest. So, deciding that she would rest now, she perched on a nearby branch and tried to sleep.
Into her tired ears came a very familiar sound - a beautiful tune she had loved so much, a note that was partially forgotten, partially remembered - it was her robin - All this time, he had stayed in this very meadow, singing that singularly beautiful tune!!! In joy, she flew over in the general direction of the sound, with a heart full of wonder and gratitude.
God Bless You
Fr Eugene Lobo SJ
