Mrs. Robin

On the eve of Mothers Day, I couldn't have found a more appropriate picture.  After a day of running around, we came home to find all of the babies peeking out at us.  We watched Momma feed them, call them from a nearby tree and quickly realized that tonight wouldn't be the day they left the nest.  I could watch them for days...and I probably will  - starting tomorrow.

But the hours got me thinking of everything a mom will do to prepare the little ones to leave the nest.  Over a month ago, we watched Momma build the perfect nest.  The old one had made it through the winter (barely) and with a little hard work, it was good as new.  Nothing was too good for her babies.  She sat there for weeks, keeping them warm and safe.  Once they were born, she didn't even move for us.  She protected them from the wind and the rain.  She became a scavenger, finding each and every worm she could feed them.  We watched them get bigger and bigger each day.  And each day, she left for a little longer.  She flew a little further away from the nest.  She taught them to have faith that she would always return.

Tonight, she sat in a nearby tree and sang to them.  They knew her voice.  While they couldn't see her (they were looking at us), they knew she was nearby.  And in the next few days, they'll find the confidence to fly.  She'll teach them how and off they'll go....knowing that she'll be waiting for them.

Again, its not often you get to see the very basics of life.  It's even less often that you get to see your life reflected back at you.  Thank you, Mrs. Robin, for reminding me that it's my job teach them to fly!