A Lesson in Impermanence...They flew the coop!

Over the last month, I have watched a hummingbird family grow.   I believe I witnessed the courtship and mating.   Definitely saw the sweet little nest.  Missed seeing the eggs (too hidden), but saw Momma sit there, and finally observed her feeding the two little guys, and watched them grow!   This weekend, they flew.   We missed the maiden flight of the first sibling, but got to see the second guy flit from branch to branch as he tested out his wings!  

I felt like Mamma hummingbird was there to teach me a lesson.   She backed off as the birds grew up....  becoming more and more scarce.   She never seemed to mind how much they soiled the nest, and pushed it out of shape and to it's limits.   What started out as a tidy little pad, ended up pretty messy.   Then one day, no one was there!....   Not mama, and not the kids!   My kids crave that same independence and space that mama "H" gave her kiddos.  

Impermanence is part of life.   Detaching from those we love, a necessity that will only cause suffering if we fail to do it!  With a 17 and an 18 year-old testing their wings, I must watch from a bit further away than I would like, as they soil the nest, and ultimately fly off to their own life.