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Marshall County Retired Teachers will enjoy a feast for the stomach at Catfish Cabin in Albertville, Alabama, and then have a feast for the spirit as Barbara Eubanks regales them with her holy humor April 21, 2010.
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Written by Barbara Eubanks   
Monday, 20 July 2009 18:41
Those who know me well are well aware of the fact I like animals ONLY in their proper places – dogs and cats outside; horses in the pasture; and birds in the air.  I must confess it was some of those creatures I allowed out of their place which made me reflect on good parents, like the ones who reared me. Isn’t strange how God gives us object lessons, even through birds?  A nest of birds reminded me of how important good parents are.
It is phenomenal.  Parents go from dunces to Einsteins almost overnight.  When I noticed on my calendar July 26 designated as Parents’ Day, a train of thoughts chugged through my head – one being how smart my parents became as soon as I left the nest.  Before I married, that the very house I wanted to leave every day to go places with my friends became the very place I desired to be when my new husband and I would leave our little bungalow to go somewhere.  Those same parents who would say no to what, I thought, were reasonable requests seemed to lack knowledge of the real world, suddenly, became sages when I needed advise.  (When I had children, I said no to the same requests, and after they left home, I got smarter also.) 
 Returning from a two-week vacation to Hawaii, the knee-high grass in the yard, the green swimming pool, and mountains of laundry brought me back into the real world post haste.  Just as I struggled with my “to do” list, I opened the front door to set up my porch planters the wind had knocked over.  To my surprise, I found a bird’s nest built slap-dab in the middle of my beautiful flowered door wreath.  My first inclination was to snatch it out, but the cawing of a bird (I don’t know what kind; a bird is a bird to me.) stopped me.  I realized it was pleading with me to leave its work unharmed.  It had plans for that nest. Just as parents work hard and prepare “nests” for their children, so do birds.  Okay, I became a softy and left it there, just for a day, to see what would happen.
The next day, to my surprise, there were four speckled eggs in the nest.  I really couldn’t follow through with my demolition of the nest then – for two reasons.  I knew in God’s order of things, those eggs needed a place to hatch Another reason was the eggs protectorate sat on the banister screeching at me.  I think she/he would have pecked my eyes out if I had as much as touched the nest and eggs.  I know my mother would have done more than pecked out the eyes of anyone threatening me or my siblings.  Dad would have protected our home with his very life.
I became more interested in nature’s little scenario day by day.  In a few more days, I found four tiny birds snuggled safely in the nest.  Every time I opened the door, their tiny necks would stretch up and their mouths would open wide as they waited for food.  Their parents had already conditioned them to trust and to accept what they needed to mature.  Again, I thought of how my parents nurtured me and taught me skills for living.
The birds grew before my very eyes.  In a matter of days, I found the nest empty.  They, under the tutelage of their parents, had learned to make it on their own. Doesn’t this sound so familiar?
When I saw the birds no longer needed their resting place, I began my demolition.  As I scrubbed the bird poop and residue off the front door and porch, I smiled a little and said, “Thank you, Lord, for parents who protected me, nurtured me, and then gave me my wings to make it on my own.”
Then I realized the analogy goes much farther.  Isn’t that the kind of care our heavenly Father offers His children?  Luke 12:6-7 came to mind: Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.