So there's this bird....

I'm not sure what species she is, but everyday, she demonstrates a powerful illustration to the commitment of motherhood.

From my third floor apartment deck, I watch her. In the eaves just above the rain spout, she has made a hole, a nest, in the wood beam that holds together the overhang I share with the residents to my left. Throughout the day, she dutifully squeezes her adult body in and out of the pine cone-sized opening. Where she goes on her outgoing journey I do not know; but upon her return, she greets a tiny beak poking out of its home, joining in its siblings with chirps of joy as she brings them something to eat. I can only imagine how many there are, for her trips are many. She clearly has a treasure trove of food somewhere, because she is never gone for more than a few minutes.

I marvel at her intelligence. The typical treetop aviary nest is never safe from spring weather that might hurl it to the ground, or climbing predators who might invade it - but not this nest. This mother, whether acting as a result of tragic experience or simple instinct, has created a particularly innovative, safe haven for her children.

Soon they will need to be pushed out of their warm home, and the distance of their fall will be further than most chicks endure. So maybe this mother's efforts will fail her. Or maybe they will take flight as opposed to falling to the ground, because she has instilled in them the bravery it takes to survive.

After all, is that not what all mothers do?