Robin

When my father died, I wrote a eulogy which I read out at his funeral and in it I said that whenever I would see a robin I would think of him. Strangely enough, when I have been down and despondent I have often found solace in the natural world. To banish the blues, I would go and weed the garden or whittle wood for hours on end standing under the apple tree or go for yet another walk with my hound. Very often I would be conscious of a sudden movement and when I would look up or take notice I would see a robin perched very close on a branch looking at me intently. I became convinced and still am that these visitations were in fact my beloved papa. This morning in the woods, which were tranquil and silent, I caught sight of the robin as he flew towards me. He landed on a holly tree just next to me. I stopped and the robin remained where he was. I took out my camera and the robin did not move. He kept looking at me. I took a photo of him and then I said: " Hello, Arnie*, I'm so glad you're here." The robin stared at me intently without moving. We both just remained motionless looking at each other. A minute must have passed before the robin flew away.

(*I used to call my father "Arnie" instead of "Dad".)
Photo copyright SvD.