Fhoto Friday:

An Exhortation From a Bird

Yesterday morning I woke up with the beginnings of a migraine. That was our first clue that a storm was heading our way. It was clear blue skies in the morning, but by noon it was pitch black as the clouds rolled in. Then came the rain. Not your ordinary rain, but sheet rain for over an hour! Then came the hail....bye bye tomato plants....and more sheet rain. For those who have never experienced it, sheet rain means that instead of drops of rain, it all comes so fast that it descends in a continuous sheet of water akin to pouring a bucket out. After the storm (and my migraine was gone) I headed outside to put to right some of the pots of plants and such.

And that is when I saw her. I fledgling robing, about the size of my palm. The down was mostly replaced by feathers, but still very young. We Had discovered a robin's nest in the green maple tree next to the deck and that is where she must have come from.

I leaned over from the deck and saw that she was breathing, and walked back into the house, not knowing what if anything we could do to help her.

Then the storm turned back. They sometimes do this in our area. The wind shifted and it was coming back for a second hit. I ran outside to move the already drowning plants to shelter under the front porch, and couldn't for the life of me figure out what to do for the bird.

The rain started again, Giant drops that soon turned again into sheet rain. The power went out, we lite candles to pierce the darkness so that dinner preparation could go on. Donning rain gear I went out to BBQ supper, the gas still works even when the power is out.

That's when I saw her. Not the fledgling but the mother. She was sitting on top of the fledgling, her wings outspread, sheltering her young from the rain. Getting hammered in the process.

I went back inside and told the children with tears in my eyes. A favourite study we've done is where it talks about God sheltering the faithful under His wings.

"Be merciful unto me oh God, be merciful unto me.

For my soul trusteh in thee:

yea in the shadow of thy wings will I

make my refuge until these calamities be overpassed"

Psalm 57:1

(The destroyed nest that fell out during the second storm,

after the young one was already on the ground)

"Because thou hast been my help,

therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice."

Psalm 63:7

It reminded me of all the times that God has done such for us. Hiding us under his wings in times of trouble.

Then it made me think of my actions as a mother. How humbling to see this robin's actions, it was a vivid exhortation to me of how a mother most act. Putting her safety aside to protect the young one from the dangers, both physical and spiritual.

But it didn't end last night. We have noticed the mother sheltering the young one from the hot sun (above), and feeding it. Obviously it either doesn't know how to fly, or cannot.

So for now we have kept the children inside, mowing the rest of the yard and leaving that half. Giving the parents room to help their little one.