Of broken wings and strong roots

There is a saying, give your children roots and give them wings. Certainly, the nesting birds I see now are trying to do just that; grounding their fledglings in the protective instincts needed for survival and the family values that separate a Grackle from a Robin.

But sometimes, the young try to fly and their wings don't work quite right. They fly off in a direction that portends danger, perhaps near a cat lurking in the shadowy depths, waiting to snap them up into their lair and eat them up whole, spitting out the feathers and consuming the rest. Sometimes the cat manages to snatch the young, and they might suffer some damage...but they manage to escape. Damaged, but not completely broken. The roots they've been given for survival served them this time, allowing them to break free.

They're free at the moment, but without the loving care needed to rehabiliate and fix that wing, it's only a matter of time before the cat strikes again and is successful.

Sometimes our baby birds need that care and rehabilitation to prevent them from being taken again and eaten up whole. Sometimes our baby birds need a bit of a scare in their lives to help them learn to be more cautious around the lurking cat. There may be those out there who want to display the baby bird as an "example," before the bird has received the healing it needs to be strong again. This is where those roots are so important to help carry them through the tough spots before they can truly fly free, strong and safe.

I'm so glad my baby birds have strong roots.