INSPIRING STORY OF THE WEEK – SERENA by Phyllis-Terri Gold, Ph.D.
INSPIRING STORY OF THE WEEK
SERENA
by Phyllis-Terri Gold, Ph.D.
This is an inspiring story about a pet cockatiel named Serena.
The story of Serena doesn’t begin like the typical inspiring story.
Serena’s favorite resting place was Paul’s old black shoe and how she loved to nestle in it! But one night, while Paul was fixing the door leading out to the patio, Phyllis-Terri heard him cry, “Serena, NO! Oh, please no!!” Their pet cockatiel had flown through a crack in that open door as they both stood and watched her soar over a tall pine tree. Both Phyllis-Terri and Paul rushed outside, watching in disbelief, as Serena appeared smaller and smaller, until she was nothing more than a gray dot in the sky. They dashed to the tree calling her name, but Serena was gone.
Although they tried to be good hosts to their arriving guests, they secretly couldn’t wait for their friends to leave.
What happened next?
As they looked at that empty shoe beside the front door, that deep ache inside their hearts made them cry. Best to dry their tears and get to work.
First they contacted the LI Parrot Society and listed Serena on their Lost Pet list. Next they made three hundred posters with Serena’s picture, captioned with other identifying information and the word REWARD in bold red letters. They placed their posters in pet stores, veterinary offices and on street posts and even put an ad in Newsday’s Pet Lost and Found column . This paper, like many others, offers a three day free ad for lost pets, and, yes, they even put Serena on the internet.
When their telephone first began to ring, one person made bird calls into the phone, which wasn’t a bit funny. But others were kind. For example, hey received a phone call from a woman who lived about seven miles from their home, who thought she had heard Serena in her nearby woods around dawn and again at dusk. She invited them to come by and search as often as they liked. Since the owner of their local pet store had told them that a cockatiel can fly thirty-seven miles in one day, they armed themselves with high powered flashlights and set out at 4:45 AM. They searched and searched for their feathered friend, but no Serena.
Then they received a third call, this time from a woman whose son lived about eighteen miles from their home. She said that ten days earlier a cockatiel had flown onto her son’s boat, and they had taken it home. Was it Serena? How would they know? In this inspiring story, you learn all about the happy ending.
This heartwarming story continues in
Tales2Inspire ~ The Garnet Collection
Stories in Feathers and Fur
