Will trade love for chicken legs

This summer I became the mother of a beautiful 16 yr old harlequin Macaw, Harley.

Within a week, my arms looked like I'd had a cutting relapse, and I had a baseball sized bruise with a hole in the center, courtesy of my new feathered friend.

Hmmm... Tenacious as I am, I don't like being around anything that makes me flinch when it moves.

I'm a glutton for punishment I guess, because rather than return demon bird, I decided to keep trying. I went another route this time though. Instead of expecting Harley to understand that I am a good mama, I showed him I was. I took my time.

Ahhhhh it was a chicken leg that changed things. Disgusting I know! Demon possessed cannibal bird loves nothing more than crunching up a chicken leg. Ewww....

He did not like me, preferred to bite me than be near me, but ohhhhhh mama had chicken, so he came a little closer.

Over the next few weeks I came to him over and over again with treats, pistachios, peanuts, strawberries, bananas...and each time, he would take it from my hand and move away. "thank you for your peace offering human, now be off with you..."

The process was ridiculously SLOOOOWWWWW and frustrating. Every time I would think I had made progress I'd reach toward him and get the snot bit out of me. (side note here, the very same beak that was snappin those chicken legs was grabbin hold of my hand...yikes)

Very very slowly we made progress. He started getting on my arm. He quit trying to bum rush me when I walked into his room. Boy that bird had mama tap dancing!

I am so thankful to say that today Harley loves his Mama, or perhaps he just loves her chicken legs ;0)

He yells for me every time I leave the room "come here" "give me a kiss" He is so gentle I can hold a pistachio between my lips (keep in mind how small those are!!!!!) and he will very carefully take it out and eat it.

It blows me away to think that only months ago I would have lost an eye even attempting something like that, after all, you realize parrots are the reason pirates only have one eye?

It amazes me at how God teaches me thru my animals.

Over the past few days I have been so ridiculously frustrated at a couple of relationships in my life. They are unpredictable, painful, at times, even dangerous (emotionally anyway). I want to run away. What I must do, what God is asking me to do, is slow down. Step back, watch carefully, find a way inside...in Him all things are possible.