The Empty Nest by Susan L.

A small cup of woven grass was carefully concealed in a patch of tall, waving brome grass now dry and whispery. Summer was being replaced by cooler days and the nest lay empty, its purpose fullfilled. Strand upon strand of warm, strong horse hair had been spun to encircle the inner bowl; gray from my chubby Arab mare, black from the numerous bays that graced my fields and ginger from my rather insane chestnut thoroughbred. The tiny song sparrow who had sung his heart out in the fading day must have spent hours with his mate in gathering everything. Not just the grasses which formed its home but each strand of hair must have been scouted out along the wire fences where they would frequently snag. With sharp eyes, intent on business, the pair must have scoured the dark interior of the barn or the weed choked barn yard searching for these special building materials. The fact that the nest lay empty spoke volumes about the pair's success who had chosen this tucked away building site. There was no egg that had failed to hatch. Later, with great amusement I had watched the parents feeding their chicks when they were nearly as big as mom and dad. The chicks, safe in the nearby shrubs would puff and flutter and cheep their demands for MORE FOOD! The nest now abandoned as too small for their voracious appetites. This little treasure was found after most of the horses and livestock were gone. My own last chick had headed off and not too far in the uncertain future I would fly away myself. It was the end of a twenty year journey. As I looked at each hair I remembered something about all of the horses who had come and gone: mares and foals, a pony, another insane chestnut mare who was too dangerous to keep... It helped me understand that an empty, abandoned nest is truly full of stories. "You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are aquainted with all my ways." Ps 139:3