Baby Birds

 

All this week I've been treated to being able to watch some bald eagles in their nest with their eggs. One egg has hatched and the other is still waiting to hatch, so there has been this baby bald eagle in the nest.  Its so tiny and cute.  Especially in comparison to its parents. (I think God makes babies cute on purpose so that we will want to naturally take care of them.)

It is very humbling to watch these huge, very majestic, birds of prey leaving and entering the nest.  There have been a few items of food in the nest that alternately the mother and the father have been feeding to this wee baby bird.  It looks like a piece of a salmon and some other animal, because of course eagles are carnivorous.  

The baby is always very excited when the parent eagle returns with its mouth wide open, squawking, ready and waiting to be fed.  The parent pulls off bits of the fish or whatever and, awkwardly it seems, moves them over to the baby bird, dropping them into its eager little mouth. Once it has finished feeding the baby, this huge eagle then moves around the nest, covering it and the remaining egg with its warm body, protecting it, keeping it safe and warm, making sure all is tucked in.

This will continue until the baby birds have both hatched and grown and then are finally able to fly on their own, to leave the nest to make their own ways in the world. 

 

I find something very heartening about all of this, the way the baby birds are fed by both parents.  How they are kept warm and safe. How the parents with determination, resolution and yes, love, work hard and in unison each day to make sure that they are kept that way.  It is the way of nature. All done by instinct.  The way its always been and always will be, God willing.

It is not so very unlike the way we care for our own children.  Keeping them in our nests, caring for them, feeding them, keeping them warm and safe. Nurturing them and helping them to grow in the best ways that we can. Providing for them, loving them, protecting them, until that day when they are ready and they fly out of the nests into the big wide world. 

One major difference between us and the birds however, is that we get to enjoy our fledglings, our baby birds . . .  for a long time after they fly our coops.  We get to stay in touch and hopefully one day we get to enjoy our grandbaby birds, and maybe even our great grandbaby birds.

We get to return together for reunions and celebrations often (during normal times.) All that hard work that was put in when they needed us, is returned to us an hundred fold throughout the years and, in many cases, when we are old and in need of care ourselves, the situations are often reversed, and (if we are very lucky people) it is they who end up nurturing and caring for us. The full circle of life.  

We always said that we would never see our parents put into care homes, never.  My sister faithfully cared for my mother right up to her passing and now she cares for our father.  Thankfully he is still very independant at 87 and is still in his own home.  He drives his own car and has a social life.

We get to spend time with him every single day. He comes here for his supper and calls here several times a day to let us know of his comings and his goings. Oh what a great blessing this is for me who never thought I would ever see my father alive again. Life has a very unique way of surprising us for sure.

I am so grateful that as humans we have this ability to forge eternal relationships like we do. What a wonderful gift from a loving and caring Heavenly Father. What we do with this gift is really up to us.  

 

It looks as if it is going to be another lovely bright day here today.  Beautiful blue skies, but very cold.  That's winter for you. I have not felt this cold in many years. I will have to be better prepared next year for the colder weather and temperatures. 

Eileen already has next Christmas planned for us, for when I am in my own place. She and Tim are coming over after church on Christmas Eve and staying all night. It all sounds very lovely to me who up until this past year had not had a family Christmas in over 21 years. God willing this stupid Pandemic will be well under control by then and family from even further away will be able to make it over. It will be wonderful. I think that wish is in all of our prayers! 

I have been thinking lately about what our lives will be like when this is all over.  Do you think our lives will ever be the same again?  In some ways I hope not. I hope that we are all able to keep this deep appreciation for family and for friends and never ever again take for granted these special relationships and our ability to meet together with them in the ways that we once did. I hope that we will always enjoy just what a blessing it is to be able to meet together and eat together and to hug and to just . . .  be  . . .  together. May we all enjoy holidays at home, exploring our own beautiful country's.  Its amazing how you can live and spend time in one place your whole life but never really know and appreciate some of the things that people travel miles and miles to see. When I get a car and the weather improves I want to be able to drive to places I have always talked about seeing but never gone.  First on my list will be Cape Breton.

I best get a leg on this morning as it will soon be time to tune in to church. I already tuned into the service in Chester and it will soon be time for church right here, so I will leave you with a special thought for today. 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *.˛.° ˛°. .He will cover you with his feathers

and under his wings you will find refuge.

~Psalm 91:4•。★★ 。* 。•。★★ 。* 。 

 

In The English Kitchen today, Crispy Cereal French Toast Sticks.  Yummy!   

Happy Valentines Day.  May your day truly be blessed! Don't forget! 

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And I do too!!