A Sparrow’s Goodbye: 8 Hard Lessons From a Case of Conjunctivitis

  Two summers ago, I found a tiny fledgling sparrow on my windowsill. Its wings were barely developed, and it trembled behind a flowerpot, chirping weakly for food. I made it a soft cotton nest and fed it soaked millet every day. I watched as it grew from barely standing to fluttering around with joy.…