Does God Speak Through Cardinals?

Last Monday evening, while sitting with Dad and "G" at our dining room table, a cardinal sat on a small perch in the pretty pink bush outside our patio window.  I can't remember seeing this variety of bird in my backyard any other year, but perhaps I wasn't looking.  We noticed it anyway because it's coat was more brownish than red.  We questioned what type of bird until we saw his head and the familiar crest of the cardinal.  Dad thought perhaps it was young and it's full color hadn't come in yet and that's why it wasn't a brilliant red hue.  As dinner finished, I didn't think much more about the bird that night.

A few days later, while inside my kitchen, I looked out the patio window again and saw this...

...  so I grabbed my camera, and through the glass door I snapped this picture.  Hello little red friend!

As you know, last night was our ladies' banquet that I'd been working on with some of my peeps from Abide, and we had a wonderful evening... I'll post more about that later...

Our speaker was "M", one of our pastor's wives, and at one point in her talk, she referred to a song by Sara Groves, "This One Place".  Here are the lyrics to that song:

I was about to give up and that's no lie
cardinal landed outside my window
threw his head back and sang a song
so beautiful it made me cry
took me back to a childhood tree
full of birds and dreams
from this one place I can't see very far
in this one moment I'm square in the dark
these are the things I will trust in my heart
you can see something else
something else
I don't know what's making me so afraid
tiny cloud over my head
heavy and grey with a hint of dread
I don't like to feel this way
take me back to a window seat
with clouds beneath my feet
from this one place I can't see very far
in this one moment I'm square in the dark
these are the things I will trust in my heart
you can see something else
something else

At the time I thought... Hmm... isn't that interesting.

This morning, while sitting out on the patio, spending some time with God, thinking and praying over some big decisions and changes ahead, particularly my new role as "facilitator" of our Abide group, what should appear in the tree above me?

Yep.  A cardinal!  At this point I'm thinking... Sure I know it's Spring and birds are all around, but how come this little bird is the only one I'm seeing here in the yard? ... so I googled cardinals to find out if there was some significance to this particular bird being in my backyard and here's what I found.

Now I have to be upfront.  I don't follow astrology and the whole "what's my sign" thing, but when I googled these birds, this was one sight that I found on Animal Symbolism of the Cardinal:

As we might guess, a large part of the animal symbolism of the cardinal comes from the brilliant red color of the males.
Even its common name is derived from the royal red vestments worn by Catholic cardinals.
This shock of red, especially against the stark backdrop of winter snow, is a magnificent sight. The male cardinal reminds us passion, warmth and vibrancy is available to us - even in under the cloak of winter's grey clouds.
Interestingly, the more bold and bright his color is, the more successful the cardinal will be at prolonging his lineage. Dull colored male cardinals are less likely to mate successfully than bright ones.
True to the fire of his color, the crimson cardinal has got some major spunk. He will aggressively defend his territory, and fight attackers with ferocity. Indeed, they have been known to fight ghost males (their reflections) in mirrors for hours on end.
Both male and female give us glorious songs. Along with peeps and pips and warbles, the tuned ear can also hear "cheer, cheer, cheer!" Very appropriate to the animal symbolism of cardinals, because they are a delight to both eyes and ears.
The cardinal makes a fantastic animal totem. It reminds us to hold ourselves with pride - not ego pride. Rather, the cardinal asks us to stand a little taller, be a bit more regal, step into our natural confidence as if we were born to lead with grace and nobility. (Reminded me of our recent Esther study in Abide)

Those who attract the cardinal as their totem are naturally energetic, love life, and happily help others where/when they can.
Call upon the cardinal when you are feeling low (especially if you have the winter blues). Also call on the cardinal when you need bolstering for an event you are nervous about - the cardinal is better than B-12 for giving energy and vitality to those who need it!

I also found this at WikiAnswers:

Christened the Christmas bird for its spectacular red color, the cardinal has become a symbol of the beauty and warmth of the holiday season. A glimpse of this brilliant bird brings cheer, hope and inspiration on a gray, wintry day. As natures reminder for us to focus on our faith, the cardinals scarlet plumage represents the blood of Christ shed for the redemption of mankind.

So... dare I ask... is God trying to speak to me through this little cardinal on my fence?  Is He giving me a tangible reminder that He is with me and will give me everything I need for the scary task ahead of leading our church ladies in worship every Thursday morning next Fall?  Is this little cardinal in my yard my holy cheerleader?  I don't know, but that's how I'm going to take it and thank Jesus for His encouragement that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"  (Phil. 4:13)

I'll blog about the banquet later tonight or tomorrow so stay tuned!