Cape Talk, Saturday night

Point such an honest, real, and beautifully written book. I'm in total awe having read four of Melinda's books. That's from Peppy and Wolseley. Thanks, Pepe. Yeah, we must be mindful of not giving too much away where we go with this story and what becomes of the bird. And, you know, I do want to say that the one thing that really struck me is Hannah, while she's feeding you this, all these instructions, you know, it must wingspan this long, weight must be this. Feed this number of crickets. Don't feed that. Do do this. The one thing she

Says to you at one point is that no amount of your wanting him to fly is going to change the outcome of whether he flies or not. And I read a game changer. And that hit me in the face because I thought there's such an echo there of no amount of your wanting Matt to still be with you is going to change the fact that he's gone. Yeah. Did you see it that way? Did you interpret it that way when she said that to you? She was the biggest wake-up call. I did exactly that to me, Pippa. It was like four in the morning. I was done. Hey, I was giving it up. I was going to drop this little.

Baby at a pet rescue. I don't know who, I mean, what pet rescue center is going to take a little Swift. And then I was just going to say, I killed the bird. I mean, I just couldn't do it. I give up. And then she said, listen, I know you think the bird is Matt and that inside them that the Swift holds Matt's soul. And you need to believe that. But I'm telling you now, the bird is the bird. And no amount of you wanting it to fly is going to make it because it will do what the bird does. And then it suddenly just

felt much lighter. I had this feeling of, I just got to step out of the way here. So my wanting it to fly so badly the day before had made the bird so scared that it kept scuttling up my arm, sitting in my t-shirt, Matt's T-shirt, because I mean I still wear his clothes, although this velvet top isn't his. But his t-shirt, the bird was in like a little hammock under my arm and it would not budge. I, by the time, and we have to actually say what happens at the end, don't you think? It's not like a big giveaway.

By the time I walk out there early on the morning of that day, and I just put that little baby in my hand and I lift my hand to the sky, and the bird flies within an instant. The whole world, it just everything she had said there made absolute sense. And the release was something religious for me. Like it was the closest I had experienced to a miracle to have a baby bird that had been almost dead have to deal with my husband who had died and then to give this baby.

Bird, the chance of a lifetime, its only lifeline, and it to be able to soar out of my hand in the sky. And me to believe that Matt was with the bird was a miracle for me. It was a thing that will carry me through the rest of my life. Sorry. To say, Melinda, you owe me a tub of mascara and a packet of tissues. You really do. It is, I mean, and we have to wrap up, I know, but I just want to say, I mean, this book was literally written.