I have the privilege of observing a family of osprey that live across the street from me. Years ago, our local power company placed a tall pole in the empty field and year after year the same pair of ospreys return in early spring to build their nest, mate, and nurture a family of chicks. In the early fall, the whole family will leave, albeit one at a time, and migrate to a warmer climate for the winter.

Discovering Wings

The osprey are quiet neighbors until shortly after the eggs hatch. Then, the nest becomes a noisy household between the insistent cries of the chicks and the chirps of the parents. 

This year, I counted three heads bobbing just above the rim of sticks and moss that make up the osprey’s home. And now, a few weeks after hatching, I observe the gangling bodies of the young birds as their flying lessons begin. 

Flying does not happen all at once,  but rather in stages. First Mom nudges the chicks from the depths of their cozy nest and out onto the rim of their home. 

Viewing these young birds through a pair of binoculars, I’m reminded of what it was like to awaken my teenage sons from their cozy beds each morning teaching them to rise up to the responsibilities of life. 

Observing the osprey I watch them stretch, flap and preen their wings, screeching loudly with perhaps protest or uncertainty as to what might be expected of them. 

But Mom and Dad are not deterred by their noise. Instead, the elders open their wings and by example, demonstrate just how flying and soaring is done. After all, ospreys are made to fly. Their lives depend on it. Mom and Dad know that the young-lings cannot remain in the nest. If they do, they will either starve or freeze to death. 

Consequently, day after day the flying lessons continue until the youths get the hang of it. Miraculously, they learn how to flap and soar as well as how to spot and grab fish from the nearby lake. 

It is an amazing wonder to watch the cycle of ospreys and be reminded of the wonderful experience I had of teaching my sons to fly. But also, of the learning experiences that continue in life. 

For us, flying is not a one time experience, rather it continues to happen over the course of our lives. We get nudged out of the depths of comfort and onto the edge of possibilities whenever we consider learning something new. 

Friends and family members have encouraged me to flap my wings and soar beyond what I thought was possible; writing a book, public speaking, facilitating retreats that focus on forgiveness.  And though I may screech with protest and doubts, my friends and family are not deterred from encouraging me to soar. Miraculously, I’ve discovered how to flap my wings and move forward in life to places I’d never gone without encouragement from others who know me.   

Why bother learning how to fly? We are not meant to remain in the depths of comfort, rather we’ve been created to move outer to the edges of possibilities, look up at those who are showing us how to soar and join them.