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After eight days, Delilah the parrot returns to her East Memphis home

“I got her when she was about 11 weeks old. I still hand fed her. I love her. She’s my baby,” said Cody Price.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Some believe miracles happen all around us. In East Memphis, a miracle brought unity to a family who had experienced loss. Family is what you make it.

“This is Delilah. She is a female Eclectus,” said Cody Price, an east Memphis resident. 

In Price's household, Delilah is family.  

“I got her when she was about 11 weeks old. I still hand fed her. I love her. She’s my baby,” said Price.

Delilah brings her comfort.  

“I lost my husband about five years ago,” said Price.

Her husband, Adam, passed away from a motorcycle accident July 9, 2016.

At the time, Price was pregnant with their baby boy. 

“As anybody dealing with grief knows, since then, it’s been kind of one thing right after the other it feels. You have a hard time catching your breath,” said Price.

Sometimes, we let grief airlift us to new heights.   

“Finally, five years after, I decided to do something for me and only me after raising my son and managing the house we have together,” said Price. “I’ve wanted a parrot nearly my whole life.”  

It is a desire that was put to the test one day after the fifth anniversary of her husband's death. 

“I got up in the morning. I took the dogs out and fed the dogs. I put her on a play stand and fed the bird. Then, I was having furniture delivered. I locked up the dogs like I always do. She was so quiet that I didn’t even realize she was still out on her play stand eating when I swung my front door wide open and welcomed this furniture into my house,” said Price. “Before I knew it, she was flying right over my head. She was out of my sight in less than five seconds.” 

Delilah's absence left Price breathless yet again.

“She has a range that I could never hope to cover,” said Price. “I passed out and hung about 800 flyers. Then, I also put a call out on Facebook. The community pulled through. I think, overall, I'd bet there are over a thousand if not more flyers hung up around Memphis. I knew it was nearly hopeless.” 

Nearly is not definite because everything changed days later.

“She was found on a rooftop by a roofer,” said Price. "It was 22 miles from this house.”  

Delilah was found on a rooftop in Eads, Tennessee.

“She could not have been at a more perfect place at a more perfect time because the person who found her…has experience with parrots, knew what to do, how to get her down, what to feed her,” said Price. “She found a family who would be amazing with her. They loved her when I couldn’t and kept her safe...“It was truly a miracle.” 

It is a miracle flying low enough to witness at its peak and now safe at home with family. 

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