Hanna Is in Heaven¶
Once upon a time there lived a happy little sparrow. His name was Max. Max lived with his sparrow Mommy and his sparrow Daddy in their big nest in an old pear tree.
One day Daddy sparrow said, “Max, we are going to build a new, small, comfortable nest for us.” “What for, Daddy?” asked Max surprised. “Take a look down there,” answered his father. “Do you see that big nest?” Max stretched his little neck and looked in the direction his father was pointing. “Ooooh, that’s really big. A big sparrow family must live there, Daddy. Now I will finally have somebody I can play with,” Max said excitedly. His father answered sadly: “I’m sorry my son. That nest belongs to a sparrowhawk. It’s a big and very dangerous bird. That’s why we have to move to another tree fast. Will you help me bulid the nest?” “Yessiree!” answered Max happily.
Together with his Daddy and Mommy, he began to build a pretty little nest out of twigs and grass. It was the first time he could help build, and he was very excited. When they were finished, they took each other by the wings and appraised their nest with satisfaction.
Exhausted from the work, but content, Max cozied up to his Mommy and closed his eyes. As every other night, she sang about their father in heaven, who made everything on earth and holds each and every sparrow in his hand.
One day it finally happened! Mommy sparrow laid a teeny tiny egg in the new cozy nest. Proud and full of joy, Max marveled at the egg. “Yay! I’m going to have a little brother or sister,” cried Max full of joy. “Yes, my little sparrow,” Mommy stroked him lovingly on his head. “You will be a wonderful big brother for our new baby.
They all had many dreams about what they would do with the new sparrow baby.
Daddy dreamt of flying through wild forests with the baby and Max.
Mommy dreamt of feeding the sparrow baby fat caterpillars and rocking it on her wings. And together with Max, the three would explore the world.
And max dreamt of flying over sunny meadows full of flowers with the sparrow baby. They were going to play with his best friend Karl, the bunny.
He was almost bursting with anticipation.
Day after day Mommy sparrow warmed the egg and Daddy sparrow took care of them. Every once in a while Max was allowed to put his ear on the egg and listen to the sounds his little sibling made.
But one day he saw how sadly and concerned the wise owl looked at the egg. His Mommy also looked sad. A big fat tear rolled down her beak.
Max was afraid and looked from the owl to his Mommy. “Mommy, what, what’s the matter? Why are you crying? Why is the owl here?” he asked his mother all the while as he was coming to a landing.
Sobbing, his mother explained: “Max, do you see this hole here in the shell?”
“Yeees?” whispered Max quietly. “Through the hole we can see that it is a little sparrow girl, who is very sick. In the egg she will continue to grow and at some point she will hatch. But then she won’t live long and will go to our father in heaven. There she won’t be sick anymore. She will be all well and be happy there,” explained his mother as more and more tears ran down her beak. “Does, does that mean that I won’t have a baby sister?” asked Max with a shaky voice?
“Max, you will always have a little sister, but sadly you won’t be able to play with her. You will always have her in your heart and sometime you will meet her in heaven. She will wait for us there. There you can play with her forever.” “Mommy, I don’t understand. Is it my fault? Sometimes I was so loud and would bump into the egg by accident,” asked Max with a shaky voice. “No, Max, you can’t think such things. She is happy when she hears you or when you shake her sometimes. Lately, I could see how the egg wobbles with joy as you romped in the nest,” explained Mommy lovingly.
When Daddy sparrow came home, the three of them laid a long time in each other’s wings and cried together. “She needs a name,” said Mommy sparrow.
Then, together with Daddy, they named Max’ little sister Hanna. “Hanna means that God is truly good. She is a gift,” explained Mommy to Max, as she stroked his face with her soft feathers. “Even though she can’t stay with us long.”
Then one day a “tock, tock, tock” quietly came from the egg. Max was excited. Today was the day! His sister Hanna would hatch and he could finally take her in his wings. Slowly the little beak broke through the shell. Mommy and Daddy sparrow helped her. In front of him lay a wonderful pretty girl sparrow. She was the sweetest sparrow baby that he ever saw.
One after the other, Daddy, Mommy, and Max took their little Hanna in their wings and marveled at the new baby. Her wee little wings, her teensy weensy beak! Her feathers were so soft. Max whispered in her ear: “I love you.”
Hanna looked tired. One day she breathed quieter and quieter and slowly closed her eyes. Soon she stopped breathing alltogether. Max was very surprised and cried so much that his tears rolled over his little beak. What had happened here? Hanna had just died. She lay there, motionless.
Then they heard a voice from below. “Max? Ma-ax?” It was Max’ best friend, Karl, the bunny. He had heard that Max had a sister. He had also heard that Hanna died.
He wanted to come to console his best friend. Max flew down to him. “I don’t understand, Karl,” he sniffed, as big tears ran down his beak. “I wanted so much to play with Hanna. Mommy and Daddy say that she is in heaven now, but she is still here!”
Mommy heard this. Lovingly she took Max under her wing. “You know, Max, that’s right. She is still here, but still, she’s already in heaven. This is her body, which is so sick that she couldn’t live. But a part of her, the very most important part, is her soul. And her soul is with our father in heaven. She will always be there,” explained Mommy to him.
“Karl, it’s good that you’re here. You are a good digger, aren’t you?” asked Mommy sparrow.
“Of course I’m a great digger!” answered Karl. Can you dig a hole big enough in which we can put Hanna?” asked Mommy sparrow. Slowly but surely, we must say good-bye to her.” Karl began to dig wildly. And he dug so long until the hole was big enough for Hanna’s body.
A dove flew up from the neigboring tree, startled by all the digging: “Roo, coo. What’s happening here?” she asked Karl.
“I’m digging a hole for Max’ little sister. She died and needs to be buried now.”
Moved by what she heard and the love she saw from Max and his parents, the dove wanted to give the family a present. With a hard pointed stone, she wrote Hanna’s name on a flat stone plate.
This stone plate she laid by the hole so that everyone could always see that Hanna lay there.
And she did something else. She made a pendant that looked exactly like Hanna for Max to hang from a necklace. She gave it to Max so that he could always remember Hanna long after her body was buried.
The hole was finished and many friends came to be with Max and his parents as they buried little Hanna.
There were many tears. Mommy was sobbing, Daddy too. And Max had many tears rolling down off of his beak.
It hurt so much not to be able to stroke Hanna’s soft feathers or feel her delicate little beak anymore.
But deep in his heart, Max knew that sometime he would see Hanna again and they would fly together playing hide and seek.
He looked at the pendant that the dove had given him. Even though he was still sad, it made him feel better.
Mommy, Daddy, and Max were sad for a long time, that they couldn’t have Hanna with them. They missed her so much.
But with time, the sadness got less. And one day Mommy and Daddy were even chirping and singing again. That was a nice day. Max was so happy that he joined in their concert.
Even though the three of them still missed Hanna very much, they were happy about their lives and that Hanna could be with her father in heaven. For that is the best place to be.
And until they see each other again, they will carry Hanna in their hearts. The stone plate with her name and the pendant will always remind them of her. They flew and flew and chirped and were so glad thet the father in heaven was so good.