It was late last night as I struggled with how to form this essay. I was getting nowhere quickly. Finally, I jotted down the beginning of this article about chatting with a Robin. I jotted down that I wasn’t attempting to be present-day St. Francis of Assisi in a couple of lines. Finally, I had a beginning.

Before getting my beauty rest, I took Ginger for a short walk to the end of the lake and returned home. I was asleep within a couple of minutes. The next thing that happened was awakening around 4:30 in the morning. Apparently, I had been dreaming about my three granddaughters in Myanmar.

The only thing that I recalled from the dream was Fatty, my youngest granddaughter, saying emphatically that I was Bo Bo Gyi even though Ti Ti, her oldest sister, had named me PaPa Al. Fatty wouldn’t call me PaPa Al; I am Bo Bo Gyi.

           This statue is of Bo Bo Gyi.                                                                         I am a recent incarnation of Bo Bo Gyi.

Bo Bo Gyi means in Myanmar “hallowed grandfather.” He was a nat, a guardian spirit. He seemed like a human being but was actually a spiritual presence. Bo Bo Gyi is a vulnerable old man who appears with a cane. He had various talents like alchemy, but he cared for children. Fatty saw me as the incarnation of Bo Bo Gyi.

Reluctantly, I went to my home office and turned on my computer. I had realized I Bo Bo Gyi to some in Southeast Asia. Additionally, I consider myself the incarnation of St. Francis. The two main reasons are that I inadvertently paraphrased something St. Francis said, “For it is in giving that we receive.” My version was, “It is in giving that we get.”

The other commonality we share is that we both can talk to animals. Well, actually, I could communicate with Ginger in English. This is a picture of St. Francis talking and feeding some doves.

St. Francis

I went out to get the mail and noticed a noise coming from a wreath I had made.

I didn’t see anything. Therefore, I went into the garage and got a large stepladder to see what was making that chattering sound. I discovered three baby robins wanting to be fed.

It was then that the mother robin started to talk with me. She and her husband thought this would be an excellent place to raise their offspring. I inquired about how they determined that idea. The mother said that the blue and yellow flowers of the wreath seemed welcoming.

We talked for about fifteen minutes. However, the mother needed to attend to the needs of her young family. Before she flew off to find her family some worms, I told her that I’d protect her family. She responded that the world doesn’t function in that manner very often. I simply added that people to be protective of others. We aren’t doing that in America or any other place. It is all about being more like Bo Bo Gyi.