The bugle call and the birdie

A little glance at our life on base:

THE BUGLE CALL:
Every weekday morning at 0700 we are greeted to the day by the bugle over loudspeaker playing Reveille. 1700 (5:00 PM) in the evening, Retreat and the Star-Spangled banner tell us the work day has come to an end and at 2100 (9:00 PM), Taps reminds us that it's time to be going to sleep.
At first, for a few months, I thought this was just a really nice way to give the day some rhythm. We would never sleep in too late, the Retreat in the evening reminded Yoni to daven Minchah, and I used Taps as an excuse to Yoni that we should get to bed ASAP (he likes staying up a bit later than me).
This past week, these daily occurences took on a new meaning for me.
Over Shabbat last week in Dallas, Pappy shared a very interesting D'var Torah. In the parashah, two consecutive pasukim discuss a bugle/trumpet call. One instance is when the Jewish people are at war. The other is at a joyful ocassion. How interesting to use the same means of communication and expression at such seemingly opposite events. What's the connection? What does the bugle call represent?
Well, commentary explains that the bugle serves as a reminder that it all comes from G-d. During war, it reminds us, "This too was sent by G-d for some reason." During a happy ocassion, when it's easy to get caught up in everything and be overcome with surface level joy, it reminds us, "Remember that G-d is to thank for all of these wonderful things."
So after hearing that D'var Torah over the weekend, I woke up to Reveille on Monday morning and at once my mind jumped to the meaning of the bugle in the parashah - a reminder that the good and the bad all come from G-d. How cool that three times every day we get our own personal bugle call - kind of convenient that the times coincide almost perfectly with Shacharit, Minchah, and Maariv...


THE BIRDIE:
The other day, on the way out the door to go to work, I saw a little creature struggling on the driveway. At first glance, I thought it was a bird that had gotten cut in half. I got a little grossed out and got in the car.
Yoni took me to work (he does that usually so he can use the car around Enid for a few hours). When he came to pick me up, he said that he went back home to check on the thing in the driveway and it turns out it was a baby bird who fell out of its nest and looked like it broke its wing. He called the housing office, who gave him the number for the Enid Wildlife Rescue. They told him to contact this older woman who lives downtown and nurses birds back to health.
He had to come get me before he could get the bird all boxed up in the car, so when I came home I helped him put it in a box and he took it to the "rehabilitation center." It turns out it was a little Starling, less than two weeks old. The lady said it will most probably live and be perfectly fine, but if Yoni hadn't called, it would have been dead by morning. Wow, what a mitzvah - I was proud!