Thursday, July 16, 2009

Mel's Show and Tell #61





Last year, while six months pregnant and preparing for a housewarming party, I came across a mother bird nesting in the rhododendron off the deck outside of my kitchen window.



Day after day I would watch her sitting vigil over her eggs, warming them, keeping them safe, and anxiously awaiting the arrival of her little ones. We were so different, this little bird and me, and yet so much the same in our journey towards motherhood. About a month or so later, the little ones hatched.



I continued to watch how this mother bird cared for them, feeding them, protecting them from the larger birds that attempted to reach her nest. I wondered how long I would be blessed by their presence before they went off into the big world, and felt sad for the struggles that nature imposed on this poor bird in her attempts to keep them with her and safe. I felt for her knowing how limited her time with them would be before they left the nest.




I don't know exactly when these little ones found their wings and flew. I lost track of them with Peyton's birth, her illness and passing, and the grief. In the past week I was outside looking over some work that is being done off the back of our house, and noticed the empty nest still sitting in the tree. Like Peyton's empty room, I found in that nest another reminder of how brief life can be, how quickly a mother can lose so much when her child leaves. Like those baby birds, my child too earned her wings too quickly. And, like that mother bird, I too had to say goodbye.

This is my first attempt at participating in Mel's show and Tell. Please visit this link to see what others are showing and telling.

14 comments:

  1. Your daughter is gorgeous. I clicked over and immediately burst into tears. Your journey to parenthood is so heartbreaking. We lost our first, Emma Grace, nearly nine years ago and I still spend days feeling so 'not me' that I'm not sure I'll bounce back. I always do, but that first year holds as one of the darkest times in our life.

    Feel free to click back and read our story. We also maintain the wall of angels (www.wallofangels.blogspot.com) and would honored to place Peyton there.

    So sorry for your loss.

    PS - your soundtrack is haunting

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  2. I came over here from the Show and Tell. What a perfect analogy- the empty nest, finding wings too soon. Your little girl was gorgeous. I am so sorry for your loss and even though I know how empty those words can be, just know that there is another stranger out there who was touched by this post, and by your story of Peyton's too-short life.

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  3. wow, I don't know what else to say, but your post brought tears to my eyes.

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  4. Love the pictures. The birds' next made me tear up. Beautiful. Peace.

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  5. What a beautiful show & tell post. Thank you for sharing these little birds with us.

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  6. I'm sorry your little one left too soon. I love the picture of Peyton in your sidebar (the missing my baby picture). I didn't notice it last time I was here.

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  7. thank you so much, thats actually the picture we chose to have engraved on her stone. she had such great expressions for being such a little baby. thank you all for your comments, they mean so much.

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  8. What a beautiful post! Brought tears to my eyes... such a perfect analogy.

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  9. What a beautiful daughter you have. Thank you for sharing, this was a wonderfully touching post.

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  10. Welcome to Show and Tell. What a beautiful, heart wrenching post. I'm so sorry your daughter isn't in your arms, but instead in your heart.
    *HUGS*

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  11. Very very touching. Thank you for sharing.

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  12. Keep writing, because you are changing the way people think, and you are an example of great pain, and faith intertwined. Peyton will forever live on, her legacy meant to inspire, through you. I never want to welcome another parent into this odd, grief filled club of sorts but I am honored to read your story and will forever light a candle for your Peyton. My Emma girl dances in heaven, and I believe she is proud to see her mommy learning, loving and living in the wake of her leaving. Sending hugs, prayers and words suspended in a cloud of understanding.

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  13. ladies, thank you so much for your kind thoughts,encouragement, and sharing the stories of your beautiful babies. i wonder sometimes if it is these sweet little souls, looking down on all of us, that bring us together through these sites for comfort during this impossible time.

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  14. In order to become a star in the sky, one must fly.

    How wonderful that Peyton has stamped the dark nights as a beautiful star thanks to such loving boosts from you and Dru.

    (And I love your site. And this post made me cry. And I'm not even a mushball.)

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