Any way you look at it, it was just an empty nest. I was visiting my mom today and we went for a walk in the beautiful sunshine. We turned the corner to walk alongside our fields and there I saw it. Some poet would likely wax eloquent about it and what it symbolized and stuff like that. I just thought I would take the pics and see what came to me. Well, here's what it is. Present tense. I jumped a very deep ditch, twice, got my newly washed coat and boots muddy and scraped my knee to discover this awesome truth. It was just an empty nest that belonged to last season. I could see the feathers in the bottom of it so I know it had once been used. This was spring time. A time to look forward and not back. It's taken me six months to come to this conclusion, not without a little help from my friends. Those birds learned how to fly, mine are too. And they are all safely in the hands of the Creator who made them all. My job is to get myself out of the way so I can see my present and realize how very good it is.When I was a waitress in our small town diner back home (a huge step down for me), some of the retired men came there to drink coffee and they would always ask how I was doing. I'd answer sarcastically," Well, I'm above ground and sucking air so that's pretty good, I think." Then I'd smile hugely, pour them a refill on their strong black coffee whether they wanted it right then or not and saunter away.
Now that I'm 39 and starting my life over again, I don't have time to be sucked into my past. I'm too busy trying to do what it takes to get stronger so I can fly again. I want to have my own home with a garden and somehow a field with a stream and a horse. That's all I need. A nest of my own, I guess. My children see that I am strong and fighting my way back up again. In fact, one of them told me that they were so proud of me for that. They've seen me get knocked down a few times in life, that is true. But they have always seen me, by the grace of God, get back up again and fight. I have realized this as well; that my heart and my love is their sanctuary even when I cannot be where they are. They know that I love them because I remind them daily. When they want someone to talk to, I am there. We share a bond of closeness that I know I am blessed to have and I enjoy the time I spend with them. My physical home may not contain them but they are always with me. So really, my nest is not empty after all. I have the love of my children and my immediate family. Add to that the support of my friends and I am very fortunate lady. I'm dusting that mud off from my time in the ditch and I'm going to see what this new season will bring.
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| Two Empty Nesters Out For a Walk |
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