Joyanna Adams

Nobody Remembers the Cardinal and Disney

How magical Disney was and how sad I remember feeling when I first saw this scene. Snow White was dead! Oh no!

But then, the prince came, kissed her, and woke her up! Joy! Cue in the music and watch Snow White kiss Dopey, and ride off with her prince.

Happy endings, remember those? Disney was great at them.

This scene reminds me of my best friend from High School. Her parents got divorced and so she moved to L.A. with her mom. The next year, I flew out to visit her, and one of my fondest memories was going to Disneyland with her, and we sat on the steps of the Castle and watched the crowds leave at midnight. We talked about this scene. We both thought, at that young age, that Disney had betrayed us. Would we ever find true love? Why did he torture us? She didn’t think so, and I didn’t know. I certainly didn’t want to give up hope. We sat there for hours talking about life. My friend never married, and she died at 47, from a cancerous brain tumor. But before she died in Hospice I told her to “send me a sign”.

And this is what happened…

Her funeral was coming up, and I wanted to send something very special, so I went to the local flowership in the neighborhood. Two ladies ran the shop, a mother and daughter.

” I want to order a BIG ALL RED FLOWERS wreath, I told them. My friend was a BIG fan of the Cardinals in St. Louis.”

So, we were talking and all of a sudden both women started screaming. WTHeck I thought? What could possible make these two scream like that?

And there, flying around was a RED cardinal bird. It had flown in through the back door, all the way up to the front.

Both ladies seemed hysterical. So I said…“Hey, it’s only a cardinal, shhh…I’ll go catch it.
The little guy was standing still on the floor. I held out my hand, and sure enough, he got on. (What are the odds?)

I stood up, and slowly walked him over to the checkout counter. “See, it’s just a cardinal!” I stood there holding him up, and the ladies look at me as if I was missing a few screws.

“I’ll got out the back and let him go.” I finally said. I could tell they didn’t want me to stand there holding him even though I was having fun looking at him.

It was quite a walk to the back door, but the little bird sat still as can be in the palm of my hand.

When I got outside he didn’t move. I thought he’d fly away. But no. So I walked him over to the nearest tree, and tried to get him onto the branches. He just would NOT get on. Mmmmmm is he stunned I thought? No, he didn’t look stunned and I didn’t remember him hitting anything. He just kept looking at me.

After about 5 minutes of me trying to get him to get on a branch, and getting rather frustracted, I thought..and then spoke.

“Is this Shelly? It’s you isn’t it Shelly? This your sign? This is SO like you, always joking around! Shelly, you KNOW I can’t take you home! Mom and the dog are waiting for me in the car, you can’t go with me.”

The bird didn’t budge.

I started to laugh. Good thing there wasn’t any people around. I was talking to a bird. Really. After another few minutes, I put him on the ground. Didn’t want to, but I couldn’t spend an hour holding this little guy in my hand. So, in the grass he went. And then, Instantly flew away.

At the funeral, the next day, there was my wreath at the head of the casket.

And I still think to this day, that was Shelly’s sign. She had a wicked sense of humor. It would be just like her to do that. Tease me by not getting off my hand.

As for Disney? Like Elon Musk said, he would be rolling in his grave if he knew how WOKE Disney land had become. I’m glad I have the memory of spending that day with my best friend and sitting on the steps of that magical Castle.

So, what’s the point Joyanna?

Don’t lose your old VHS movies. Someday you will show them to your grandchildren, and know that the innocence of the young was once treasured by a genius of a man named DISNEY. Who KNOWS what will happen to that great American company in the future.

December 16, 2023 - Posted by Joyanna Adams | Uncategorized | Birds, Disney, family, fiction