I mangled this post - it's nothing like I planned on writing but I was trying to hurry and finish typing it while at the same time answering and talking to my friend on the phone as he was giving me tons of information on a dear family friend who is likely to pass away (much too young) of cancer this week, updates on a cousin of mine, my Uncle's eye surgery, my brothers new travel plans, my sisters shopping extravaganza , my nephew getting into an accident today - he is fine but the kid who hit him isn't - and a few other topics. I finally was so frazzled I hit "publish" and then had to go back later and read what I wrote. I tried to shorten it a bit so it's been edited from the long(er) rambling mess it was.

Yesterday afternoon I noticed a raggety-taggety looking scrawny bird on our front step outside the door. Well, admittedly, my neighbors cat noticed it first. I hard the 'thud' of him hitting the glass window next to the door and went to investigate when I saw the straggler hanging out on my front step. Looking closer I said to myself, "Hey! You're out of the nest! Awesome!"

It was the baby bird who lives in a nest in a tree just beyond our front stair. Up to this point I've only see the tip of it's beak but apparently it was time to spread its wings and see a little more of the world.

I watched it for a bit and wondered where Mama was. Sure enough I spied her hopping along at the front edge of the lawn, ever watchful of where Baby was.

I took a moment to squat down on my haunches and enjoy the scene playing out in front of me.

Baby Bird didn't have all it's coloring yet and it was having a bad hair day with random feathers sticking up here and there and it's body not quite graceful and beautiful, but still gangling and awkward. Still, it was just as tall as it's Mama. It was interesting to think it was just as tall as it's parent but still so helpless in the world. It still needed Mama to come feed it, watch out for stray cats and chirp warnings and constant "cheeps" to check the location of it.

Mama was hopping around the sidewalk area, careful not to come close to the Baby Bird, but instead, busied herself looking out for it from afar. The Baby jumped off the step and hopped around the grass, oblivious to anything other than itself. Although my neighbor two cats are indoor cats and the Baby Bird was in no danger from our household, I did wonder where our neighbors cat was as they always keep their cat outside to terrorize the neighborhood, bother others cats and rip up patio screens trying to get into house.

Their cat, I knew, would have this Baby for dinner.

Then I realized it wasn't my job to worry about this Baby Bird. That's what his Mama was doing. She knew in order to teach the Baby Bird how to survive, she had to let it learn to fly on its own while watching from a safe distance away. In nature, as always, there is a chance the Baby Bird would wander into the street and get hit. A cat would attack it. Mean children would find it and kill it or other more aggressive birds would spy it and kill it before the Mama could fight them off, but in the end she knew instinctively that this is part of life and she was playing her part from 20 feet away.

The Baby Bird got a burst of courage and took to a wobbling, low flight going towards my neighbors home. Within a split second she was right behind it, chirping her admonishment but following closely.

Later that night I walked by the front window and saw Baby Bird sitting on a support wire at the base of the tree. I stopped to watch for a few seconds and saw it try to maneuver itself to flitter up to a branch. Its lack of knowledge made it attempt to land on a twig the size of a needle with one tiny leaf on the end of it. Obviously it didn't hold the bird and it immediately dropped a bit, fluttered it's wings and plopped to the ground. Lesson learned. You have to choose a stronger branch to land on!

Mama was right there, outside the immediate circle, watching closely and chirping support or again, perhaps admonishment. Her constant chatter always made me aware she was nearby even when I couldn't immediately see her.

Obviously her Baby Bird knew that too.

I smiled as I watched the Baby Bird learning to make it's way in the world why trying so hard to do everything on its own and doing it's best to try to ignore the Mama Bird who was watching out for it. And the Mama Bird standing back 20 to 30 feet and watching her Baby Bird struggle and fail and try again; knowing it will either make it or it won't but it was part of life and she was doing her best to teach it.

Much like 17 year old boys and their Mama's.