Goldfinches Take Flight, Reflecting a Mother's Love
"If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it," Mark said.
I was at the wake for my daughter-in-law, and he was telling me about something that happened earlier in the week.
This past summer, my son's beautiful wife, Elaine, lost her 15-month battle with a rare cancer. She was 39. Appendix cancer strikes about four people per million a year. She left a husband and three young children, and so many loved ones that the wake had to be held in a church hall because no funeral home could accommodate those who would come to pay their respects.
Elaine was an elementary school teacher and recently retired from the Air Force Reserve at the rank of major, after having served 21 years. At the time of her retirement, she was the public affairs officer at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.
When summer came, the neighbors in the Wheatfield community, where my son's family live, went above and beyond to help. It was a time for putting on brave faces, not just for the kids, but for each other. Elaine's was the bravest face, and throughout her journey, she held on to her belief that she would eventually win her battle with cancer.
Karen Nowak
When I was with her, I felt the hope that she felt. She wanted to be at home with her family as much as possible so that last month the kids were kept busy and distracted a good part of the day so Elaine could rest.
Extended family stepped up as well. Food was brought over and visitors came. Keeping the normal family routine was cherished.
The families of our grandkids' playmates circled them with love and protection during this summer vacation, doing anything they could to help our family as Elaine's health slipped away. It is because of their deep and constant involvement with our grandchildren that I know about the goldfinches.
Elaine's favorite bird was the American goldfinch, those pretty little yellow and blackbirds that are with us during our warm months. I didn't know their proper name until she told me one day years ago as we were watching their antics. My family used to call them "wild canaries." She laughed when I told her that.
Two days after Elaine's passing, the kids were swimming in the next-door neighbor's pool. Many goldfinches were flitting about the pool when at least a dozen of them started flying in a circle over our kids. This odd flight pattern continued for several minutes. The children in the pool watched this, as well as Mark, the dad of that house.
Later that day, the playtime relocated to another house. This house was on a different street in the development, and in the midst of play, another circle of goldfinches formed over our grandchildren and repeated the peculiar display. Again, not only did the children observe this, but so did the parents who were supervising.
This story spread among the neighbors, and at Elaine's wake, there appeared the most beautiful floral piece I have ever seen. Little yellow and black goldfinches nestled among flowering branches, and the card was signed by all the families who came together to help. It was a heartwarming remembrance of the day when a mother's love had no boundaries.
By Karen Nowak
Karen Nowak, of Orchard Park, misses her late daughter-in-law, Elaine.
This story was previously published in the Buffalo News.