I watched two birds leave their nest on my back porch this morning.

I know nothing about birds, but I think the mama bird was a Finch. Of course, that’s just a guess. She was very small and had yellow on her back.

The babies were tiny. One took to flying quickly. The other was more hesitant, and crouched in the corner on the ledge by my back door, but eventually took off like his or her sibling.

The irony of the whole thing is this little mama bird made her nest in my cat-shaped bird feeder. When I moved in to my house in late winter, I simply stashed the bird feeder on a small table on my patio, intending to do some organizing out there when the weather got better.

The weather got better, but I haven’t done the organizing yet. The mama bird built her nest in what was essentially the cat’s mouth. I got a little chuckle seeing her go in and out of it.

I noticed this a month or so ago, when I witnessed my cats crouched stealth-like at my back door — ears back, eyes barely above the bottom edge of the glass, watching something ever so patiently. I crept as quietly as I could to the side of the door to take a peek myself and saw the tiny bird in the process of building her nest.

Since that time, I’ve watched her in the mornings and near twilight each day bringing food back to her babies. I’ve been very careful to not even open the door to the patio for fear of scaring her off. I didn’t want her to smell a human scent or fear human activity near her nest. I didn’t want her abandoning her babies, but I need not have worried. She was a very good mother.

This morning, when they ventured out of their cozy home, she hovered nervously, chatting loudly as if giving instructions.

I found the whole thing a bit sad. I imagine lots of parents are having similar feelings this time of year, thinking about how their own nests will change when their high school seniors head off to college or prepare to graduate from college and head out to begin their own careers and families.

Such is the cycle of life, but knowing that doesn’t seem to make change any easier.

As I watched these tiny birds flitter around on my patio, preparing to take off, I wondered if they would ever come back to their little nest in the cat’s mouth.

I worried about their safety out in the vast world of my backyard.

I thought about all of the mothers today who will reflect on their time raising their children, nurturing their babies through childhood and into adulthood. I imagine seeing them leave the nest is very difficult.

The Serenity Prayer has gotten me through many difficult times in my life. If, on this Mother’s Day, you find yourself fretting over a child about to leave your nest or some other change about to take place in your life, have faith in the work you have done to prepare your child and yourself for the inevitable changes of the cycle of life.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

 

Jan Griffey is editor of The Vicksburg Post. You may reach her at jan.griffey@vicksburgpost.com or 601-636-4545, ext. 123. Readers are invited to submit their opinions for publication.