Nonna (hummingbird story)

Since it is springtime, I would like to share my hummingbird story with you.

I have always been a bird watcher, a love I got from my maternal grandmother, who we called Nonna. She and I would spend many hours looking at birds in her yard and finding them in her bird book.
When she passed away, my mom gave me the book, which I treasure as it brings back so many memories.
About 6 summers ago, my mom and I were sitting on my deck, enjoying the sun and watching the birds at my feeder. We started talking about my grandmother and how she loved the birds. As we were talking, I realized I had never seen any hummingbirds in my yard and how they were always mine and Nonna’s favorite.
I had no sooner finished my sentence, when above my mom’s head there was a hummingbird. I thought I was seeing things! We named the little bird Nonna, as I believe my grandmother sent her to us.
The next day I got a hummingbird feeder and put it up, and the little bird returned and became a yearly visitor.
Last summer was a particularly bad summer for me. As many of you know, I have been battling an illness, which until just this last year, remained undiagnosed. I did not feel like doing much of anything, so i did not put up my hummingbird feeders.
One afternoon, I was sitting in my chair in the livingroom, my slider to the deck was open. I happened to look up and right inside the slider was the hummingbird, looking right at me, as if to say, “ok where is my food?”.
I was very surprised the bird would actually come in the house, but I still didn’t get the message, and didn’t hang the feeders.
A few days later my daughter came to me and said that she had walked into the living room and the hummingbird was in there, this time hovering over my chair where i always sit.
I finally got it. It was from my grandmother, Nonna, and she was sending me a message…… Get off your butt and get going again girl.
I hung the feeders and Nonna was back, and no matter how crappy I feel I keep trying, and keep coming back.

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  1. What a lovely story Ellie! I really believe that our loved ones do their best to keep in touch with us after they die. I lost my husband in 2010 and a couple of weeks after I kept on seeing a dragonfly at my kitchen window….it just seemed such a lovely thing to see as my husband was an keen fisherman and loved watching them on the river banks! xx