Calvin and Bill fly.

I'm back. Our porch has six columns. Every year birds build nest atop these perches. I am sure the parents think these look like a good, safe place to raise a family, but they don't realize a poorly built nest can allow their babies to fall down into the column. However; the most critical information not considered are our two rat terriers that catch birds in flight.This year, the robins chose a column, right during our busy graduation schedule and end of school stuff. We watched and remarked about all the work, time and responsibility of maintaining a nest full of eggs. Soon we saw heads pop up. Then necks. Finally, feathers poking. The first two birds fate was determined by our terriers. Bruno and Lizzie quickly learned about the activity taking place atop their column and it wasn't good when the first two decided to try their wings out. My husband became angry and agitated about this.....thus our dogs were tied up. One last bird sat perched in the nest, trying to decide if he could in fact make it. We watched for two days without anything happening. Then, on Friday, May 30, he flew. Then,on Friday, May 30, our son graduated. Calvin, we named him, landed beside our porch and survived for an afternoon while his parents continued to feed him and encourage him to fly to safer grounds. By nightfall he had made it to the safe part of our yard, no terriers could reach him. We have a picture of Calvin, our daughter took. We have many pictures of our son graduating, that my brother in law took for me. I felt it was symbolic that Bill and Calvin flew on the same day. Our children are born with wings. As parents we are called to ask for wisdom and strength to prepare them for their flight at life. Our son hasn't had a perfect childhood or perfect parents. In fact, our children have endured hard times growing up. BUT, I can only speak as a mother who has daily, sometimes hourly, asked God to help me be exactly what our children need in order to help their wings become strong enough to fly past bad things or wait until the path is safe. As the principle called out our son's name, I sat up taller, took a deeper breath of thankfulness, and then remembered what a blessing it has been to be his mother. What a privilege to cook a hamburger at 11pm or wait up late for him to return home. I tried to teach him about Jesus, life, love, trust, choices, maturity, responsibility, and to watch out for rat terriers that are watching and waiting. I am sure Calvin is somewhere pulling a worm out of the ground today and I am sure our son is going to fly places of success. He is ready. He is leaving the nest and he is going to make it.