When I was thirty, I immigrated to the US. No one could have prepared me for my first Boston winter. I'd never experienced anything like it before: blisteringly cold wind on pristine white landscapes. This fresh white background was where I saw my first Cardinal. I thought I'd imagined it, that sudden pop of red. Later I learned that some people believe cardinals carry the spirits of passed loved ones, coming back to check on us. I've felt a connection to these birds ever since.