I’ve taken thousands of pictures of crows over the years. The ones we call ‘ours’ are most often the focus of my attention and lens. They know me and they hang around our house and the neighbourhood so it’s fairly easy to get pictures of them.

But it’s not always easy to get good pictures of them. I’ve deleted hundreds of blurred pictures that are not recognizable as anything crow-like. Ditto for pics with the focus off or where the subject is exiting the photo rather than staying for the shot.

Of course, the pictures of crows that I share are the good ones – the ones that turned out well or the ones that I like for one reason or another. Before I had this website, I would print them out and bring them to Sunday dinner for all to see. And some I would post on my social media.

Like anything, some folks would like the pictures and some were ‘meh.’ Crows are not to everyone’s taste. My uncle Bob suggested I join the Official Crow, Raven & Other Corvids Fan Page and share my photos there. I immediately took him up on this suggestion.

I joined the group in February 2021. I enjoyed looking at the photos and reading the stories of people from all over the planet who feel the same way I do about crows and ravens. I would visit and scroll through on the weekends and post some of my recent crow pictures here and there.

One day in late March, I decided to share some older crow pictures I had. One of the pictures I posted was from a series of photos I named ‘crows and berries.’ I had taken them in my backyard about five years ago.

So, I posted the picture and went about my Saturday. It would go up on the page whenever the admins approved it and I would get a notification letting me know.

But I’m not great at social media (as my friends and family know). So it was Sunday before I realized that I had a bunch of notifications about the photo. There were many comments. I read through them all and answered a couple of questions.

One question was from an artist named Dianne Wickens. She asked if she could use the photo as a reference for a painting. I absolutely said yes – of course! I was totally chuffed that an artist wanted to use my photo. I told the story and showed the post at Sunday dinner later that day and life went on.

Winter changed to spring and soon my Saturdays were all about the beaches and I didn’t post and scroll on the crow and raven fan page as regularly. In early May, Dianne posted the painting on the page. I missed the post, but a couple of days later she messaged me to let me know she had done so.

As I said, I’m not great with my social media so it was a couple of days after that before I saw her message, on Mother’s Day to be exact.

I looked at the post. I looked at the painting. It was beautiful. She had named it ‘Bittersweet.’ I loved the new title. I loved the painting even more.

As this was happening, I was excitedly filling in my partner. I showed him the messages and the link to the painting. I messaged Dianne back asking if it was for sale and went back to making my part of potluck and getting ready to go to my mom’s place.

I indeed shared the update to the story and talked about the painting at our Mother’s Day celebrations. By the time I was leaving for home, I was fully determined to buy the painting as soon as I could get to my computer. It was a big purchase but I wanted it and it was definitely worth it.

I got home, spoke with my partner and told him I was going to buy it. He said that was a great idea and encouraged me to do it. I jumped onto the link Dianne sent me and went to the gallery. I was so excited.

And the first thing I see is that it was sold.

I was deflated. But it was my own fault. I figured that I was a little too late to the game. She had posted the picture on a page with over 125,000 followers who love corvids. It’s not unexpected that one of them also wanted the painting and was more on the ball than I was. I was still pretty happy that this had all happened anyway. And I was sure that someone who loved crows had the painting so that also made the ‘sold’ tag a little easier to take.

I told my partner and he shared my brief sorrow with the ‘still a cool thing’ silver lining. He also suggested I ask for a photo of the painting as a ‘second best.’ I thought it was a good idea, but I had all the original photos and I was good with how it all turned out. So I didn’t ask and just let it go.

That was early May. I didn’t think about the painting anymore but still enjoyed scrolling, liking and posting on the fan page.

Fast forward and now it’s Christmas. It’s my partner’s favourite time of year. His love language is giving. He has always gotten more joy from giving gifts than from receiving them. And he is good at it. I mean really good at it. His gift giving is legendary here at home and with his family. He ‘wins’ Christmas every year and has made me cry more times than I can count with his thoughtfulness.

He files away information and shops all year long. For him, Christmas or some other celebration is always right around the corner.

So we exchanged our gifts in the morning before going to his folks place for the afternoon and then to my mom’s place for the evening.

The last gift he handed me was big. He said he wasn’t sure about this one. As I made it through the first layer of wrapping he said, “We can return it if you don’t like it.”

I kept opening it, carefully, hoping I would like it because he seemed a little worried about it. I finally got to the last layer and peeled up the corner. I saw the red berries first and I knew. It was ‘Bittersweet.’ Here in my hands.

It was a spectacular gift I had not ever expected. My hands shook as I gently removed the rest of the wrapping. The lump in my throat felt like a softball. I had to turn my head to stop the tears from falling on the painting. I propped it on the couch and went to him to hug him and hold him tight. “I love you,” I squeaked through the emotion, “Thank you,” I said as I squeezed him tight. I cried tears of love, joy and surprise.

This was beyond sweet. It was beyond expected. It was beyond belief. (And it was way beyond budget!) I could feel his emotions too as he squeezed me back. “I can’t believe you did this,” I croaked through my tightened throat and thankful tears.

He moved the painting to a chair where we could both stand and admire it. He held me and I let the tears flow. “This is a painting of your photo,” he said, “it’s of our crows, taken from our backyard. There is nowhere it should be other than right here.”

I couldn’t speak. I could barely breathe. I just held him tighter and thanked my lucky stars. We stayed that way for awhile, reluctant to leave this moment.

But there were festivities and our families to visit and more joy to be had today. The painting would be here when we got back – and always.

And of course the story was told. And I found out more details. He had bought it as soon as I had showed him the link the first time. So by the time I told him I was going to buy it that Sunday, he had done so already. As luck would have it, it arrived one day in late May while I was out for a walk. He was able to get the picture in the house and unpackaged and burn the box it came in before I got back. He hid it in the back of his wardrobe for the past seven months.

As gifts go, hands down this is the second-best gift I have ever received in my lifetime. There is no doubt about that. Of course the best gift has been, and will always be, the love and life I have with my partner. I am blessed with the richness he brings to my life. I cannot thank him enough.

Not just for this, but for everything.

©CRodgers