What is a Nest?
A few years ago a mother bird built a nest in the wreath on my front door. It was an exciting time for
our kids who daily checked the nest for eggs. Before long the mother bird had laid 4 beautiful small blue
eggs. The kids watched the nest and the eggs for any sign that baby birds might soon hatch. I took
notice of the nest itself. It was a mess of twigs, hair, leaves, string, and other sorts of things a bird would
find and pick up outside. Alone these bits and baubles would be seen as garbage or something to be
raked up and removed from the yard, maybe even thrown into a bonfire, but together they made a
home. A safe place of refuge for these baby birds just waiting for their time to soar.
More recently, our family had the opportunity to visit a living history museum. One of the costumed
interpreters was showing how wool can be pulled thin and woven into cloth. At the end of her
presentation, she invited us to take a small handful of wool home with us, and then told us the most
remarkable thing. She said once we got home, to stretch the wool out and leave it in our yard for the
birds. She told us the birds would find this little piece of “thrown away” wool imm
ensely useful in making a cozy nest for winter. Something so small and seemingly insignificant would make a big difference to the birds that live in the woods near our home.
A bird’s nest looks messy. What looks messy to us, is home to a mother bird and her babies. All the messy bits come together to make a cozy place to rest, eat, raise babies, and eventually fly away from.
What we do at The Sparrow’s Nest can look messy at times. Bringing up children is rarely a neat and tidy process. Our mission and goal at The Nest is to come alongside these mothers and be a support to them. Giving them a place that is cozy and restful, a place of refuge from the world and all the burdens they carry. Our hope is that after spending time in this cozy and healing place of refuge that they will soar off on their own, empowered to raise their children to do the same when they are ready to fly away from their nest.
Melissa Jacobs
Board Member
