Lauren Part 2

By Chris

I'm late on this . . . and probably in trouble. Mega pressure in the Green house to add dad's reflections on the graduation here. So, an analogy. Strangely and perfectly timed. Just before graduation, our baby bird that has been inhabiting our flower basket on the back porch suddenly decided to flee the nest this week. Hmmm. A message, maybe?? There isn't a day that I don't pray "God . . . guide us and protect us today. Show us what we need to see . . . however you can . . . help us get done what You want us to get done today" (I really do this . .. everykday. For years now. Try it. It seems to work). While some of us were were sitting at the table under our umbrella, baby bird, all alone in the nest decided to make a break for it. Its first stop was the umbrella top, just a few inches from the nest. I saw it first. I was excited. "Look . . . baby bird has decided to fly off! She's on the umbrella!!!" I announced. Teresa and Ben were worried. "Oh no!!" was their reaction. I could tell they were thinking, "STAY IN THAT COMFORTABLE, SAFE NEST!!!" Momma and daddy bird, who had watched the nest and fed the baby for weeks, were chirping and swooping into frenzied pursuit as baby made its way to the front yard. Baby was barely flying . . . but still getting away, clueless that it was causing all these mixed emotions. Mostly on the ground, but half-flying excitedy, baby was heading out into the world beyond the predictable safety of the backyard plant. Mamma bird was freaking out . . . chirping. She was like . . . "hey . . . you think you can fly, but that low-to-the-ground walking mess ain't gonna cut it. You could be killed any moment!!! CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP." We watched baby, momma and daddy move a couple of houses down, where Stupid the Cat lives. Stupid, who can catch rats, mice and adult birds easily. Teresa and Ben were freaked. "Oh no!!! Stupid will get baby!!!" She didn't ... and last we saw, baby bird was heading down the street. Half flying, momma and daddy chirping along. I told them it was fine. This was supposed to happen. It's normal. Baby Bird's probably soaring by now. That little nest was only built for that baby for a short season. She needed to leave. The nest was getting too small for her. They wanted to believe me, but they were still nervous, wanting baby to stay in the safe nest on the back porch.

So it is with Lauren. Tears are flowing about her half-flying out of the nest. She awkwardly stayed out until 3 a.m. graduation night. Half flying, I guess. Ben and Teresa are crying, just like they freaked over baby bird. "I don't want her to leave . . . ." Ben is telling us (and that makes even mean ol' dad a little sad). She's little momma to him, after all. But, she's gonna leave. Pretty soon, I think. And that makes me more proud than sad, really. I'll miss her. Sure. But, she's been half flying this coop for a while. They don't see it yet, but it's the dang birds that only learn to half-fly that really are the saddest. They get so predictably stuck in limbo between God's full will for their lives and the childish security of basking in what was so comfortable to them. Until suddenly, they're neither child nor adult. We reward those "hanger onners " too much in our current world . . . and they become weak as a result. "Here . . . stay half way in the nest, half way flying on your own" we tell them. And they're wings atrophe. It's more comfortable for all of us this way. And then we get surprised when they half-way do everything, never really soaring anywhere. I tell Lauren "Half measures are whole failures." Hey . . . If your're gonna leave baby bird, do it all out! Don't stop in Stupid's yard and get eaten!! Fly. On your own. Fully. I want Lauren to do everything all-out. No turning back. Forward progress. No half measures. And, I see in her that she will . . . and I'm proud of that. She's way ahead of some of her friends who only want to fly to the umbrella as long and mom and dad tell them to, pay their way and coddle them and bring them the worms they shoud hunt on their own.. No turning back, I say, is the best way to fly the nest. Has anyone really done anyting great halfway?. Of course not. Half measures are whole failures. And Lauren has awesomely developed into a whole-measure person. So, I'm proud. A little sad, sure, because it went really quickly. But mostly, I'm in the mode of: "Keep going baby bird! You can do it! We fed you well. Stretch your wings. Don't look back. Find your own way!!!"