
What it takes is blood, sweat and tears with equal measures of love and patience. I think that it is how the mama and papa bird made this nest. I noticed that it was not only made up of things that were found in nature like twigs, hair and bark but also it was made up of the bird’s own feathers. What parts of me were in my nest? It is a daily effort to keep my home clean, comforting and welcoming to my family and guests, which does require my sweat and sometimes tears to get it to where I want it to be.
And then I notice that right on top of the interior was a layer of pine needles. What would their purpose be? Perhaps the prickliness of the feathers is what it took to get the baby bird to leave the nest as he got older. It made me think of teens, and especially my tween, who seem to become more and more uncomfortable in their home as they get older, especially when being told what to do. Is it this prickliness, this uncomfortable-ness that makes it easier and dare I say necessary, for our babies to leave our nest? And an even bigger question: does it make it easier for us to let them go and fly? Perhaps.