June 6, 2011

See these tiny beaks? They are no more.

Two days ago, I found a nest of four baby robins in the neighbor’s tree next to our driveway. The chicks were already getting quite cramped in their little home and beginning to get their feathers. There is something about babies that makes my heart soar—as if they’re a promise from God telling us that life never really ends—so I grabbed my camera and snapped these photos. One of the chicks opened its eyes and watched me. What a thrill!

Being careful not to get too close and frighten them, I marveled at both the complexity and simplicity of nature and how the chicks’ utter silence and stillness helped camouflage them as they waited for their parents to return with dinner. And when I looked around, sure enough, there was the mother (or father) robin, sitting on the roof of my house with a juicy worm dangling from its mouth.

The next morning when I went to retrieve the newspaper from the driveway, I noticed that the nest was empty and the mother robin lay tattered and lifeless at the foot of the tree. She must have died trying to protect her little ones from some predator. My heart sank; my eyes filled with tears. Why did this have to happen? The babies were almost ready to leave the nest. Did a cat get them? Did they fly off? But life doesn’t always provide us with answers.

Now when I back my car down my driveway, the empty nest is a cruel reminder of the beating hearts, beady eyes, and bright orange beaks that had been there only moments before, and it makes me wonder why God would give life to these beautiful creatures only to take it away before they even had a chance to fly. It reminds me of how my parents too, were here one moment and gone the next without any explanation.

These things reinforce my belief that our lives on earth are far too short—and far too precious—for us to be negative, miserable, or judgmental. I also believe that everyone and everything has a purpose, including those tiny robins. And maybe I’m being egocentric, but perhaps their purpose was to show me that although they never got the chance, we have the ability to fly—RIGHT NOW, so we shouldn’t hunker down in our nests waiting for someday. Someday may never come. All we have is NOW. It’s not only important, it’s imperative—even more than that, it’s the purpose of our lives—to do the things that bring us joy, and to share that joy with others.

This is the beginning of eternal life.

So what are you waiting for?