Blackbird

 

There are beliefs in some cultures that blackbirds have a connection with the spirit world.  Some consider them to be death-messengers.
In Celtic cultures, a blackbird coming into a home was an omen of an imminent death in the family. 

Similarly in Irish cultures, wild birds roaming inside or flying above a house was a signal of death or illness in the women of the family.
Likewise, birds staring through or pecking on the window are also believed to bring death to someone in the family.

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A few years ago, after a long battle with cancer, I, along with my Mom and my siblings were gathered around my fathers bed as he lay dying.  His breathing was very labored and rapid.  He had stopped communicating with us the day before.  The hospice nurse had indicated that he likely would not last beyond a few days - she was correct.

It was late afternoon as we were all just sitting, watching, listening, and waiting.  Suddenly there was a rustling noise on the adjacent screened-in porch.  We all turned our heads to look and there, through the door window we observed a large blackbird flying around inside the porch in a panic.  I went over to see if the screen-door was open - it was closed.  I went out and after a few minutes managed to corral the frightened bird, gently pick it up and set it free.

When I came back in my sister said, "You do know - some believe that a blackbird in the home is a sign that someone in the home will die that night".  She then googled it and showed me what she found.

Just after 10:00 pm that night, some few hours after seeing the black bird, Dad died.

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So what am I to make of this?

1 - I had never heard of this cultural belief until my sister told me about it that afternoon, so I had no predisposition to believe it.

2 - The prediction by the appearance of the blackbird was seemingly fulfilled later that evening with the passing of our father.

3 - Was the bird sent by some unseen spiritual or supernatural force as a sign to those of us in the home, or was it merely coincidence?

Initially I was perplexed as to how the bird had gained entrance into the screened-in porch.  The next day I discovered a small tare in the screen, likely made when the bird, flying at hi speed didn't see the screen and flew right through it.  So it didn't require any supernatural aid getting into the porch area, necessarily, but the timing?  Does the timing mean anything?  

Christians are fond of claiming that they have "experienced" Jesus, and that they have "experienced" God answering their prayers.  How would a Christian explain my families experience with the blackbird?  Would they conclude that this was a supernatural sign or merely a coincidence?  I would really like to know.

But I do know this - regardless of my beliefs surrounding the blackbird - I have more evidence that a blackbird's appearance was an actual omen for the death of my father than any evidence that Christianity has for the resurrection of Jesus - all they have are words in a 2,000 year old book.

I would be more justified in claiming that my encounter with that blackbird was truly prophetic than Christianity could accurately claim of any of the Old Testament "prophecies".

How can I say this - simple - I and my family experienced it, personally and directly.  We witnessed it with our own eyes - all of us.  

1 - A blackbird accessed my parents home, and my father died that night.  We saw it with our own eyes - we ourselves are eye witnesses.  

2 - We saw in writing on google, that a blackbird accessing the home is a sign that someone in the home will die that night. 

This was our experience, not mere words written down thousands of years ago.

My family has at least as much (if not more) "evidence" that a prophetic blackbird gave us a clear sign that my father was going to die that night, compared to the "evidence" that Christianity has concerning the bodily resurrection of Jesus.

bob

r.u.reasonable@gmail.com

ps - Do I actually believe that the appearance of the blackbird and my fathers passing are in any way related - absolutely not.  I am 99.9% confident that it was just a coincidence.  I no longer believe fanciful notions just because they were written down 2 years ago, 200 years ago, or 2,000 years ago.  If the story of the resurrection of Jesus had not been written down 2,000 years ago, billions of believers today would not claim - without any evidential justification - that Jesus arose from the dead.

pss - As I stated above - The hospice nurse had indicated that he likely would not last beyond a few days - she was correct.  Did she have the gift of prophecy?  Was she a witch?  Did God reveal this to her in a dream?  No to all.  She, like the MD who sent Dad home to die, were trained in the medical science of death.  The hospice information pamphlet that she left with us explained what to expect over the few days that Dad had left, and it was accurate in every detail of his rapid decline. including the last hours and even the last minute.  In that last minute, as I was observing Dads breathing and his physical reaction, I made eye-contact with my sister indicating that this was the end, and in less than 30 seconds, Dad was gone.  

Did the bible help me know what was happening - NO - science did.