"Home Is Where The Heart Is"

Mr. and Mrs. Jones gave Sunny her freedom this past spring. The poor little bird couldn't adjust to her cage and it was heartbreaking for the Jones' to watch her suffer everyday. They talked it over and decided, for Sunny's sake, she should be set free. It was an act of love the Jones' never regretted.

They watched Sunny through the spring and summer playing, eating and even living with the wild birds around their home on the lake. She had been accepted by the other birds and loved her freedom but something was about to happen that the Jones' weren't aware of. All of Sunny's friends were about to abandon her for their yearly flight south.

"Mother, have you seen Sunny this morning?" Mr. Jones asked his wife.

"Not yet Dear...why, is something wrong?" She worried.

"No...at least, not yet." He told his wife as he was rubbing the morning stubble on his chin."

You see, Mr. Jones every morning would throw wild seed out around the bird houses for all the birds. They would come in hundreds, it seemed to him, to frolic and eat the seed. Lately, he noticed each day the count of birds were getting smaller. He was bewildered for awhile but he began to figure it out.

Some species of birds fly south for the winter. He had to wonder what effect this would have on Sunny and if she too would try to fly south. He also was worried about Mrs. Jones. She loved Sunny dearly so he decided not to tell her just yet what his fear was. The fear that Sunny would try to follow some of the other birds south.

Though she lived, played even ate with the other birds, Sunny didn't have the same instincts the wild birds had. She had been in a cage since she was very young and captured in Australia. Could she develop the instincts of a wild bird? If she tried it, would she have strength to make the trip south? Would other birds, outside her friends here, accept her? These were just some of the things on Mr. Jones' mind that worried him.

"Oh look...there she is...right on time." Mrs. Jones grinned. "You know, Father...I think Sunny likes the song bird seed we bought even better than the old bird seed. What do you think?"

"What...oh...yes, Dear." He mumbled as he watched the birds romping through the seed.

"Okay Mr. Jones...what is it...what's on your mind? I've been married to you for nearly forty years and I know when something is bothering you. Now what is it?" She asked.

"Yes Dear, you do know my moods, don't you?" He smiled as he caressed the face he fell in love with so many years before.

"I've been a little worried about Sunny. You know some species of birds fly south for the winter. We know for a fact some of her friends do. Remember how sad we got when they left and the joy we felt when we saw them return last spring? Well...I can't help but wonder what Sunny intends to do." He told his wife as he tried desperately not to show how concerned he really was.

Mrs. Jones smiled as she pushed back a stray hair around Mr. Jones' face. "I too have thought about this but we have to leave these matters up to Mother Nature herself. It's really not in our hands but, I must tell you, I hope she decides to stay here with us."

"I know what you're saying but we sometimes have some pretty bad winters. Could she survive it if she stays?" He asked.

The couple discussed the situation to some length and decided to let nature take it's course. They did though, begin setting her old cage in an open window. They filled it with treats and toys in hopes Sunny would fly into it to stay.

She hadn't in the past but since most of her friends were leaving she might now. They knew how much Sunny loved them but the decision to stay or leave would have to be hers.

The days passed into several weeks. The quantity of birds each morning were getting fewer and fewer. Sunny didn't seem to notice there weren't as many birds. She just skipped around with the ones that were there.

"She seems like she is still cheerful, Father." Mrs. Jones said to her husband. "Maybe she intends to stay...do you think so?"

"I don't know, Mother." Mr. Jones laughed. "The only thing I know for sure is how much she loves that song bird feed...just look at her go at it."

Sunny was hopping like a young bunny trying to get to the seed quicker than the other birds. She wasn't being selfish, there was plenty for all of them. It was just the manner in which she ate. This really tickled the Jones' because it looked almost like she was dancing.

"Well...the way she loves that seed...I don't know." Mr. Jones said scratching his nearly bald head. "She may stay after all...unless she can figure out a way to carry a bag of it with her." The old man joked.

The day finally came Mr. and Mrs. Jones had been dreading. There were hardly any birds left around their home. Oh sure, there were a few snowbirds around but Sunny didn't have the chance to bond with them this spring and summer because they don't usually arrive until cold weather.

Mr. Jones would try to put some seed in a different location for Sunny but it didn't work. The little birds would flock to everywhere he threw the seed. They were, however, afraid to get too close to humans and this was in Sunny's favor.

The Jones' filled a saucer with the seed and sat it on the open part of the front porch. He and Mrs. Jones had their coffee there in the mornings, if it wasn't too cold. Sunny loved the old couple so she wasn't afraid to come over and eat seed from the saucer. The snowbirds would occasionally look up at her but they didn't seem to care what she was doing.

"You see, Father...as long as she will eat from the saucer near us she won't go hungry this winter." Mrs. Jones told her husband as though she was trying to make herself believe it as much as her husband.

"Yes Dear...we will just have to wait and see." He answered.

The Jones' waited until Sunny finished eating and went inside where it was warm and cozy. The weather was still mild on some days but soon it would be too cold to sit outside on the open porch anymore.

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