What a Racket!
Loud raucous squawks and screams outside disturbed my concentration.
Three magpies were in the back alley. One hopped along in front. Why didn’t it fly? If I were that magpie I would have flown away just to escape the demanding screeches from the other two magpies fluttering along behind. But, although they all seemed to be the same size, the one in front was silent, wings folded tidily against its body, completely unperturbed and at peace. It just walked nonchalantly in front of the other two.
“Keee, keeeee, keeeeeya, keeeyaya!” complained the other two magpies, beaks wide open, heads thrust forward and wings flapping haphazardly. They were beak to tail with their impassive parent, whining and shrieking for attention.
I shut the windows and door to keep out the noise, racket and commotion;
The squawks of the young magpies were muffled now, but I could still hear them.
I wondered what that parent was thinking.
Go feed yourselves! Quit bugging me! I’ve fed you for long enough, now get on with your own lives!
And, what were those youngsters thinking?
Life was just great the way it was! I used to open my beak wide and a grasshopper or caterpillar would pop into my mouth. What happened? You’re supposed to look after me! You owe it to me! YOU laid my egg! I don’t like change!
I wanted to ask those lazy fledglings, “Don’t you realize you are not babies anymore?
Look at you! You are as big as your parent! Stop pestering them.”
Then a song that came into my mind. It’s a song with a pounding, foot-stomping beat. It runs through my memory blaring brazenly that there’s no point running to your mother because now you are on your own.
Well, I can’t go running to my mother now! She left this life a while ago. I used to though. As a child I ran to her when I fell off my bike, and I pestered her, too, when I was hungry or bored or couldn’t do my homework. Patiently, she taught me to cook and look after myself.
That magpie mother, or father, I’m not sure which, calmly and patiently led her children saying, “I’m still here. Follow me and keep exercising those wings of yours. Soon those muscles will be strong enough to carry you over the rooftops so you can escape the cats and cars that can kill you.”
God is a loving parent to us, calmly and patiently going ahead of us saying, “I have given you wisdom, faith and love. Use them. Be strong. Follow me.”
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