Falling Out of the Nest

Sometimes things are too close to your heart to be able to speak of them. They can be pondered, but when it comes to words on paper, nothing seems to be able to describe how you feel.

One day, recently, I discovered a Cardinal's nest right under my kitchen window. The babies had just hatched, and were fuzzy lumps with mouths opening wide whenever they thought food was near. They were so helpless and tiny, but mom and dad were always nearby to feed and protect, ready to die, if necessary, for their babies. The kids and I took such joy in watching them! Every morning we would check their progress, and day by day, they grew bigger and stronger and more feathers.

It seemed they would be little forever. We thought we would have more time with them.

But one morning, the 8 year old breathlessly came running to me to announce that one of the babies was out of the nest. It's too soon, I thought. Maybe it fell out, and we should put it back in, I thought. But no, mom and dad were nearby, calmly attending to their baby. By the end of the day, they had coached it into flying a bit, and it was gone! The next day, the second baby was out of the nest. We pulled up patio chairs and watched the parents teach their offspring to fly. It practiced flitting from branch to branch. Sometimes, the branch was too small to hold even its tiny frame, but then it would find a more suitable branch. This one got stuck in an empty garbage can, and the 8 year old helped it get out.

Could it really be time for these little ones to be ready to fly off on their own? Shouldn't they be in the nest at least for a few more nights and have more flying lessons from their parents? 

The next day, my son moved out. 

Did I prepare him enough? Did I do a good enough job? I think I needed more time to make sure. 

I wasn't quite prepared for the emotions that I felt and am feeling. Especially after helping our oldest daughter move out in February of this year. She loves her apartment and her job, and she visits us often, so it's all good, right? I should feel just the same this time around, right? But this was different. Maybe because he is my son, maybe because he made several huge decisions all at once; I don't know.

But I do know that my little feathered friends helped to keep things in perspective, and were a lovely diversion from my own feelings. I know it was no mere coincidence that a nest of baby birds appeared under my window. I was nurtured by nature.