We're Empty Nesters!


It was a finale that only the moguls of Hollywood or the Master of Heaven could have orchestrated. And since there were no movie cameras, actors or scripts, it’s safe to assume who directed this show!!
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Background:
For 14 years, I hated making brown bag lunches for my kids. But now that my son was about to graduate high school, I got emotional every morning knowing that the end of this task was approaching. You see, my husband and I are about to be “empty-nesters,” and I’m not quite sure I’m ready.
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Speaking of nests, as you know from previous posts, for the past 2 weeks, our front door wreath has been home to a growing robin family. I have learned much from observing these busy feathered friends.
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The early bird gets the worm:
I am not a morning person. Never have been. I used to be a night owl, but now that I’m older, I’m strictly an afternoon person. Well, this morning I had to drop my daughter off for leadership training for her mission trip. Getting up and out at 5:45 a.m. was no picnic, let me tell you. But as I tiptoed down the stairs, I got to see both Momma and Poppa bird feeding their babes. A worm banquet! Those babes now barely fit in the nest as they have developed into sturdy little round robins.
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Flew the coop:
I soon found out that this bounty of worms was their last meal at home. This afternoon, I came to the front door and saw one lone baby robin standing on the edge of the nest (pictured here)
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Before long, both Momma and Poppa returned, flying to and fro in a frenzy encouraging baby to take flight with them.


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After a few seconds, baby tenderly lit off the nest and experienced her first miracle of flight. The three flew across the yard, across the street headed for a neighbor’s tree, the first stop on their journey onward.
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And here’s the Hollywood ending:
As they took off across our yard, who walked up the pathway to the house? My own baby boy who is about to take off to college! AJ was away all day, working down the block doing landscaping, and returned home for just a minute. At the very moment that he approached, the birds made their final exit and sailed away right over his head. Get me a Kleenex, please!
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Epilogue:
I didn’t see the other babies leave, but AJ saw the first one leave and shared his story. (I’m guessing it was the one bird that was so restless in the nest, always fluttering and extending his wings.) He stood on the edge of the nest and took off prematurely, falling to the ground injuring himself. He hobbled to the side yard, and we are unsure of his fate.
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Didn’t he read my last blogpost? “… but those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Key word here being “Wait…”
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Postscript:
I never had much of a liking for birds. During this experience, however, I have come to appreciate this special segment of God’s creation.
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But there’s one thing that I just can’t get past..If you look closely at our window, you will see that the birds left us a most unpleasant reminder of their stay! Yuk! Now that the birds have made me an empty-nester, I have quite a job to do!
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Wouldn’t you know, not even one hour later, I saw the following sign:



The fine print:

You gotta love birds.
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We give them seeds.
They poop on our decks
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(and windows!)









Susan

3 comments:

Mari said...

You got a good lesson from those birds. Thanks for sharing it!

Diane said...

It's wonderful how occasionally God gives us His views on things.

Runner Mom said...

Hey, Susan! Thanks so much for visitng my blog!! Your comment was so sweet!

I would love to talk to you about the story for your book--how exciting! Would you mind emailing me and let me know a little about it? And what your deadlines are? My email is scrunnermom@gmail.com. Just whenever you get a minute!

Your post was darlin'! The analogy is so true. And I loved the scripture. Thanks for sharing with us!

Hugs!
Susan