Once upon a time three little birds lived in the town of Freedom, New Hampshire. The birds were chickadees. Their names were Dee, Chick, and Addie. They stayed in Freedom all winter. Food was hard to find, so they ate from the bird feeders near the houses. The best bird feeder was at Mrs. Meyerson’s house. She put the best kind of bird seed, with white fat called suet. Birds eat the fat in the winter to help them stay warm.

Most of the birds flew to many homes each day, and ate from all the feeders. Flying helped them keep warm and grow strong. As they flew, they saw berries on a bush or bugs on a tree. For a bird, a snack of berries or bugs is a real treat, and part of the fun of being free.

Dee, Chick, and Addie were friends. They flew to the same homes and ate the same food every day. One day, at Mrs. Meyerson’s bird feeder, they had an idea. Her feeder was so nice, they wanted to make their home there.

Mrs. Meyerson loved birds. She had bird things all over her kitchen. She had a clock that made bird sounds. She had a TV with only bird shows. Her bird feeder was a glass box in her window. It made the birds feel like they were in the house. It let her get very close to them, too. The birds got used to her, and they were not afraid. They were warm and safe from the cold wind. They had all they needed.

Living at Mrs. Meyerson’s house was much too easy. The birds did not have to fly. They did not need to look for food. They just sat and ate and watched other birds on TV. Every hour the bird clock made bird sounds, but Dee, Chick, and Addie made only eating sounds.

A blue-jay named Jake came to the feeder, too. Blue-jays sound like they are scolding all the time. Jay scolded the three friends.

"Do not sit there and eat all day. Too much is not good for you. Fly around," he said, but the three birds did not move. Jake flew away.

Mrs. Meyerson wanted to help the birds, but what she did was not good. She gave them more and more food and fresh water every day. They were getting very, very fat. They looked cold and sad, too. Then Mrs. Meyerson did a bad thing. She got a birdcage. She put the cage by the feeder and opened the door. The birds hopped into the cage. They were happy to be in the house now. It was warm and light, not cold and dark like outside. They went to sleep and had dreams about piles of birdseed.

When they woke up they heard a tapping sound. It was Jake. He was outside, eating from the feeder. Dee, Chick, and Addie looked around the cage for their food. There was none. The house was very quiet. No one was at home. The TV was off. The birds were very afraid. They saw the blue sky outside. They saw the trees and bushes, and wanted to taste the bugs and wild berries. They wanted to be free again, but now they were in a cage! They called out to Jake. "Help! How did we lose our freedom?"

"You gave away your freedom. You did not want to fly around and find food. You wanted to live in a house and be fed. You did not want to sing. You wanted to listen to the bird clock. You did not want to live like free birds, you wanted to watch birds on TV. Now you have what you wanted. You are not free." Then Jake flew away.

The birds did not like Jake scolding them, but what he said was true. They felt very sad. They had no hope. Then a car drove into Mrs. Meyerson’s yard. It was her friend Mrs. Perkins. She had come to feed the birds while Mrs. Meyerson was away. Mrs. Perkins came into the house. She did not know the birds in the house were wild birds. She was very sad when she saw them. "This is not good," she said. "This is against the law. I will take you to a place where they can help you. I will talk to Mrs. Meyerson about this later." Mrs. Perkins took the cage with the birds in it and left the house.

Why didn’t Mrs. Perkins let the birds go free? She was kind. She knew that the birds were too fat and weak to fly away. They looked like fat little turkeys. If they went free now, a cat or a bigger bird would eat them. They did not get weak and fat in one day. They could not get fit and strong in one day. They lost their freedom a little at a time, and they would get it back a little at a time.

Mrs. Perkins took them to a place that helps wild birds. They gave them food that does not make birds fat. Then they put them in a big cage where they could fly a little. When the birds were better, they put them in room with big windows. They wanted the birds to see outside. Were the birds ready to be free again? The birds flew to the windows and looked out. They wanted to go out. They were ready to be free. A man opened the windows. Dee, Chick, and Addie flew out. They were free again!

They flew into the clear blue sky. They started to sing. "I am going to look for berries," said Dee.

"I see bugs in that tree," said Chick. He was so happy to find his own food!

"I want to go across town to Mr. Smith’s feeder," said Addie. "His feeder has food that is good for us!"

Dee, Chick, and Addie stayed friends, but they each found their own food, sang their own songs, and flew where their hearts took them.

The birds did not think life at Mrs. Meyerson’s house would be like being in jail. Now they knew that if you only sit, eat, and watch others live, you are not really free. We were made to live life, not watch it go by. So do not just sit there and watch TV, or watch other people play games, or just listen in school or in church. Turn off the TV and play. Do more homework than you have to – it could be fun! Go to church and really sing, pray from your heart, and find out how you can serve God by doing things for others. Go out and really live!

Persmission automatically granted for personal, non-profit use, or for use in a church setting.