A small miracle is unfolding in a quiet corner of our backyard, behind our shed, nestled carefully on my partner’s sturdy horizontally hanging ladder. In an impressive nest carefully and wisely arranged with twigs, grasses and other sturdy materials lay a clutch (yeah, I looked that up) of robin’s eggs. Each egg is a striking shade of blue, so vivid and rich it seems almost unreal against the muted browns of the nest. Their color are like tiny jewels, a splash of brilliance that caught me and my partner’s breath every time we look.
Watching the evolution of those eggs in the safe haven of our backyard, we are both drawn into the slow, miraculous rhythm of life. The mother robin, vigilant and gentle, flitting back and forth, knowing when we are watching her.
I imagine she has this devotion and fierce protector energy of this family she has chosen to bring into the world on our land. A land my partner and I have cultivated as a place filled with love, warmth, and psychological, physical, and spiritual safety. Like our land, the nest is this small, sheltered haven, the eggs feel safe and secure nestled with the watchful eyes of their mother and us. It is a sanctuary, a home where life can begin.
Over the course of a few days, tiny cracks appear on the smooth blue shells, delicate fractures that promise new life. Slowly, carefully, the eggs gave way to fragile nestlings, a sprig of a feather sprinkled randomly upon its pale skin. The first Robin baby safely emerges into the world.
How profound. Watching the stages of this transformation, the stunning blue turning into tiny babies, beaks forming, each egg hatching, and the methodical process of life, and the stunning realization that we get to witness it. How symbolic.
This family’s beginning is especially meaningful for me because, in just over a month, my own family will be moving away from this home. This home, this sanctuary we built, is the new beginning for another family.
As we prepare to close this chapter, the robin’s new beginning reminds me of the cycles that govern all life. Just as these birds have found a place to feel safe enough to start anew, my partner and I must find our own haven, our own sanctuary, that is larger than just the lands we own. A sanctuary that includes the larger community. One that welcomes us and makes us feel comfortable and safe. A community that looks after us with a watchful and caring eye while we unfold and evolve into our new normal.
In moments when life feels unbalanced or overwhelming, I find myself turning to nature for answers. The patterns of growth, the synchronicity between endings and beginnings, and the simple beauty of a mother’s care remind me that life’s chaos is often just a prelude to transformation. The robin’s eggs, with their brilliant blue shells cracking open to reveal new life, are a powerful symbol of hope. A reminder that even when we must leave what we know behind, new beginnings await, full of promise and possibility.
Nature, in its quiet wisdom, teaches us to trust the process, to find peace in the cycles, and to embrace the beauty of change. Watching those tiny birds hatch was more than just a glimpse into the life of another species; it was a mirror reflecting the resilience and renewal that lives within us all.
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