A Bird Funeral

Our school is blessed to be housed in a lovely church. The lobby area is flanked by floor to ceiling windows which provide a lot of natural light. Unfortunately, it is a regular deathtrap for our local birds. More regularly than we would wish, a student will greet us in the morning with the sad news of a little feathered friend prostrate on the ground at the building's entrance. We had such a situation this week. We collected the bird's body and we all examined her (or him). She was an Oregon junco. Pauline called attention to her specialized feet for perching and her conical beak for cracking seeds. She was so lovely.

Yesterday we buried her. We learned a wonderful song first thing in the morning in preparation for the funeral we had planned for our outdoor playtime. The song is "The Little Bird is Dead" by Patty Zeitlin and Marcia Berman from their "Spin, Spider, Spin" album. This is a wonderful collection of songs celebrating nature. I recommend it highly. Some of the lyrics tell us to "gather up some seashells, circle stones around. Place her in a silver box, lay her in the ground." And "gather us together, place your hand in mine. Shed a tear for she's not here to spend the summertime." Very nice.

We buried her, sang our song, placed a crocus on her grave and had a discussion about what the children think happened to us when we die. The conversation was wide-ranging and non-denominational. The Judeo-Christians were well-represented. Several children believed we went to heaven and met God. I mentioned the Buddhist belief in reincarnation and one child whose parents practice this religion said "Oh yeah! That's what I believe!" One child pointed out that the body of the bird would decay, become soil and nourish the plants. Then some children went off laughing and giggling, playing that they were in heaven with God eating unlimited cupcakes. This offended one child who felt this jovial attitude was inappropriate to the occasion. Essentially, it was like every other funeral I've attended minus the casseroles and dressy attire.

I'm so glad we got to honor this bird and demonstrate that she mattered to us. We will speak to the pastor of the church about placing some visual warning of some sort on those big windows. Perhaps if this bird's demise prompts us to protect others, her life will have meant even more than most.

Best regards,
Doni