Confessions of a Grandma

The white sparrow prompted me to do some surfing.  I learned a few things about  sparrows in general. Their Latin name is Passer domesticus.   The common name derives from the Middle English sparewe.   They are may also be referred to as spodgie, spuggy, or sprog. Sparrows are the most common wild bird on earth. They are used as a Christian symbol to signify the importance of all things in God’s eyes, and extending on that, as a symbol of God’s presence. In many European traditions, the sparrow is an omen of death.  If one flies into your house you should catch it and break its little neck or otherwise you will die yourself.  If a sparrow flies into your house and lands on your piano—that’s really bad.  You are doomed. (A sparrow did fly into our house once a couple of summers ago.  Mike picked it up and took it back outside.  Neither of us died, but thank goodness we don’t have a piano!) Both Chauser and Shakespeare referenced the s...