Margaret stood at the kitchen sink, her hands still damp from rinsing dishes, eyes fixed on the birdbath just beyond the window. A sparrow flitted in, feathers puffing as it dipped into the shallow water, wings stirring up silver splashes that glittered in the late-afternoon sun. For a moment, she breathed with it, matching her exhale to the bird’s rhythm.

Peaceful. Serene.

The kind of silence s...