irony
Lately I’ve been noticing a lot of irony in my life as a parent. For example, I am running around like an absolute LUNATIC today trying to get a million things done so that I can go to the spa and relax this afternoon. Or the times I’ve yelled “speak nicely” or “calm down” at my children. Or the morning our baby slept until 8:00 AM and I laid in bed FULLY AWAKE worrying that he had surely perished during the night. When I dreamed of becoming a parent, I forgot to imagine the part where you feel kind of nuts half the time!
Filed under Me, me, me, me, Mom moment | Comment (0)robin in the rain
On Saturday morning I took a few minutes to laze about in the sunshine drinking tea on our front porch. I was enjoying the warmth of the sun and casually watching our kids ride their bikes when I noticed a fat little Robin flitting about. She had a worm in her mouth and was rather furiously pacing back and forth on the lawn in front of me. Curious as to what was ruffling her feathers (so to speak), I continued to watch, making sure to sit absolutely still (hoping that my children would wait just a few more minutes before blazing back into the driveway). The little bird paced for a few more minutes and then very cautiously made her way towards the little tree in our front garden. I was amazed at the care she took to make sure no one was following her. Once she felt safe, she darted into the tree. Through the twist of branches I could see a little nest and four tiny yellow beaks open to her offerings. She fed her babies and then swooped away to continue her ritual.
Watching the little Robin brought tears to my eyes as I considered the tenderness with which she cared for her young. The way she sheltered them from the elements and hid them from predators. How she fed each one of them in turn, making sure each one had their fill. Through out the weekend I paused at our front window to see if she was there and sure enough, each time I was able to spot her either making her way back to her babies or darting out from her shelter to get them more food. I thought of her last night as I listened to the rain dancing on the roof. I pictured her covering her still naked little babies with her wings and wondered if she was cold in the rain.
That little Robin reminded me of the beauty of motherhood. She was busy all day with her constant flying to and fro and yet when she landed on her nest she always took a moment to nudge a baby into a better position, fluff a feather or clean her nest. I just hope that she took a few minutes to soak in the sun for herself, rest on a blooming crabapple tree or take the first bite of a juicy worm.
