Unfortunately, the joy ends here. Last week I started to worry when an entire day passed without sign of the mother robin, than two. Then we left out of town for the weekend. When we returned on Monday it was clear that the mother had not returned. I buried this little bundle of birds yesterday. My eyes teared up as I lifted each lifeless body from the nest. Just two days before the nation had celebrated mothers. What happened to these birds’ mother? It was a keen reminder of the devastating effects of an absent mother. The responsibility of a mother is great, it is endless.

This nest still sits in the tree, open for another winged family. Every time I see it I feel gratitude for my own mother. Despite the challenges and pressures she faced as a mother of eight, she has never slacked in her determination and endurance. It reminds me of my own responsibilities as a mother, and the extreme neediness of my own little bird.