Get Away From The Edge!!

So maybe I've been spending a little too much time lately watching the eaglets in their nest.  But they amaze me and keep me entertained. They're growing and it's fascinating - to me, anyway.

As they are growing and getting bigger, they are also getting more active and mobile. And sometimes they are getting awfully close to the edge of their nest.

It seems that Mama Eagle and Daddy Eagle have built a pretty good barrier on the edges of the nest. And I guess they've had the talk with the eaglets about not getting too close to the edge. But whenever I tune in, I always fight the urge to yell, "GET AWAY FROM THE EDGE!!" whenever I think they're too close. And I wonder if Mama Eagle gives them a stern talking to if she comes back and sees them right at the edge.

One day it will be time for them to get to the edge and fly away. Mama and Daddy Eagle will be sure that they are ready. The eaglets will be grown and healthy and ready to make their own way in the world. And however it happens, the eaglets will walk to the edge, take one more step, and take flight, ready to make their own lives.

As I watch the eagles and anticipate their futures, I can't help but think of my own kids. How, as they were little, I was always watching for them to insure they didn't get too close to the edge. And how I kept trying to prepare them as they grew. And how each, in his and her own time, eventually grew up, walked to the edge, and flew away. I was happy and sad and relieved and scared, all at the same time.

And yet, even though my children are grown and making their own nests in this world, I wonder if Mama Eagle and I share the same thoughts. Will Mama Eagle be like me, still watching those eaglets long after their gone, still watching as they make their own way? Will she still be watching as they encounter new challenges and risks? Will she still be close by, ready to swoop in should danger present itself?  Will she still be watching to make sure they don't get close to any edge that would mean harm?

Baby eaglets, like our children, will grow up. They will learn to use their wings and fly. But we'll always be close, watching for those edges, just in case we're needed.

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Today is a gift because:  I had a quiet day doing a lot of nothing!!