A long time ago, about last Thursday…
Three young eaglets sat in a nest high high high above the ground in the beautifully soft and wonderful aerie that their parents had made for them before they were hatched.
Day after day, Mama Eagle and Papa Eagle brought them food and taught them what it meant to be an Eagle. Day after day they opened their hungry mouths and listened. Day after day, the young eaglets grew in every way. And all was well.
After a time, the young Eaglets noticed that Mama and Papa were coming less and less often.
They also noticed that both Mama and Papa were starting to take some of the soft comfy feathers OUT of their nest! With less padding and bigger bodies, the once very soft nest was starting to HURT! Didn’t Mama and Papa love them anymore!
One day while Mama and Papa were away, the eaglets started to talk together about what was going on.
Eaglet #1, the biggest of the bunch, whined, “My LEGS hurt! I woke up with a great big thorn stabbing me!”
Eaglet #2 joined in, “And I’m HUNGRY! Where are they???”
Eaglet #3 was sad and sullen. “I think they are never coming back. They don’t love us any more.”
“Maybe something happened to them!” gasped Eaglet #2.
The three not-so-little-anymore birds sat in the nest, eyes wide with fear, as rain started to pelt them on the head. They were a sad and sorry lot.
After what felt like forever, Papa came back to the nest, beak filled with feast, and spread his ginormous wings over his babies. “All is well, little ones,” said Papa warmly. And they fell asleep.
The three Eaglets woke to warm sunbeams and full stomachs.
They also woke to sore limbs and sides. Before Papa left, he had taken out even more padding. “What is WITH these birds!!” thought the frightened eaglets.
As the day wore on, each bird started to feel quite restless.
“Why don’t we fly like Mama and Papa?” asked Eaglet #3.
Eaglet #1 was contemplative. “Maybe we can!” he exclaimed excitedly.
Eaglet #2 looked over the side of the nest. She saw nothing but a steep steep cliff, the tops of some smaller trees, and a river below. Eyes huge, she looked up at her siblings and said, “I’m not going out there! You must be CRAZY!!”
Eaglet #1 started trying to work it out. He stretched out his wings the way he saw Mama and Papa do it. But their wings were strong! They could even ride on the current of the wind and hover over them staying in one place in the air! Mama and Papa were incredible! They weren’t special like that.
That night when Mama and Papa came back to the nest, the Eaglets asked them about flying.
Mama looked at Papa. Papa looked at Mama, smiling. “I think it’s time, dear,” said Papa to Mama. “I think you’re right!” Cooed Mama to Papa.
“Our beautiful babies!” said Papa, as Mama glowed.
For the next several days, Mama and Papa encouraged their babies to spread their wings, to practice flapping them, and to watch what their parents did.
For the next several days, Mama and Papa also took nearly all of the soft stuff out of the nest!
The babies watched and practiced… and learned to sit on the edge of the nest to avoid being stabbed by branches and thorns.
One day, without warning, Papa nose Eaglet #1 straight out of the nest! Eaglets #2 and 3 screamed in horror as they watched their brother tumble and fall, tumble and fall. He tried to make his wings work, but he just couldn’t! Surely he would smash into the rocks and die!
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Mama Eagle swooped underneath him. Adn caught him on her wings, gliding him gently back up to the nest.
Eaglet 2 and 3 watched hyperventilating, as #1 was gently dropped back into the nest.
Eaglet #1 took a minute to catch his breath and then yelled….
“AGAIN!!! AGAIN!!! Let’s do it AGAIN!!!!!” flapping his wings and jumping around.
Before #2 could realize what was going on, she was tumbling through the air! “BUT WHAT IF I DIE!!!!!!” screamed #2. She crash landed in the top of a tree. “I failed!” she thought, miserable.
Before she finished the thought, Mama was there, pushing her out of the tree and then swooping below her to catch her, and deliver her back to the nest.
Day after day, the eaglets practiced flying. Sometimes they landed in the river, sometimes in trees. Sometimes they were caught by Mama. But more and more as they grew and got stronger, each eaglet got better and better at flying on their own.
Day after day they grew, and so did their discontent. The nest that had once been such paradise now felt like hostile territory. They relished their ability to fly away from it and honed their ability to land wherever they wanted.
Before long, they were no longer eaglets at all, but rather, grown up eagles, as capable and marvelous as Mama and Papa.
And so it was, a long time ago, about last Thursday.